Queen of the News
by GrissleMcThornbody
Summary: "Because I'm going to make a Star Rookie..." Fuller Vetica had decided that if she was going to climb to the top of the World Reporting Guild, she was going to need a story that would shock people. And thanks to Monkey D Luffy she found her perfect star. Now all she has to worry about is becoming a victim of her own ambitions. T for language, violence, and sexual themes
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in the Sabaody Archipelago. Fuller Vetica, a dark-haired woman in her twentieth year of life, stretched out on her lawn chair listening to the sound of her black transponder snail chat away. On its side was written the word "WRG." Its purpose was simple, intercept Navy messages, legally of course. She would lose her Tanbou Badge if she ever illegally obtained government info.

As she lay there and closed her eyes, she could feel the phantom sensation of rough hands caressing her face, fragments of memories she constantly tried to repress. She adjusted the sleeves of her oxford shirt to allow better breathing, and let out a sigh.

"You could always wear short sleeves," a man in a tropical print shirt and cargo shorts commented next to her.

Vetica looked over at the man, who was calmly sipping a cold beverage and reading a copy of "New World Magazine". She envied his short, spiked brown hair; it must be cool. She had wanted to cut her hair that short, but, under threat from her handler, she was forced to settle for her wavy bob.

"And please, Rider, tell me what I do if the navy spots them and we have to work," she snapped back. "I have to look professional."

"Should have become a tech then," Rider, said with a loud slurp.

Vetica scrunched up her mouth in a pout, squinting her wide green eyes in disapproval. He was technically correct though, if she didn't want to have to focus on her looks she should have stayed in the assistant track instead of becoming a reporting talent, but she was far too ambitious to be satisfied making calls and fixing gear like the heavy set man was. Besides that, she was so disorganized it probably would have driven her crazy.

The two of them had been together for almost 8 years now; Rider had been her first friend when she had enrolled in the World Reporting Guild's academy. Ever since then they had been through all sorts of hell together, including the Alabasta Civil War and Battle of the Best. In fact, she had him to thank for even finding them accommodations on the archipelago, considering what had happened last time she was there.

Suddenly, she felt a twinge in her left arm, causing Vetica to bolt upright.

"Finish your drink," she said, a wild grin spreading across her lips.

Rider, groaned taking another large slurp and closing his magazine. "You're too superstitious, you know."

Vetica shushed him watching the snail intently.

"Everything is all clear here at twenty-three," a man's voice droned over the snail.

"See, nothing," the man sighed.

Then...

"Straw Hats!" The snail screamed. "This is Grove 43! We have visual on the Straw Hats. Seems they are having a meeting at Grove 46. Repeat, Grove 46!"

"Bingo," the woman said, grabbing a bag and tossing the snail inside. She began to bolt for her bubble bike. "46's only four Groves away! We can make it if we hurry."

The man gathered all his stuff with surprising agility and was by her side in an instant, futzing with a blue transponder snail.

The two hopped onto the bubble bike, and Vetica began pedaling furiously. Rider now had the snail's receiver in one hand, and there was a small click.

"Go ahead," a woman's voice said over the snail.

"Opera, this is team Vetica," Rider yelled into the receiver. "Breaking news, Straw Hat sighting on the Saboady Archipelago. We are currently headed to the scene."

"What in hell's name are you doing on Sabaody?" the snail yelled back.

Vetica wiped sweat from her forehead and turned back to Rider who's expression looked less than pleased. She admittedly had not been fully honest with him about their

clearance in the area, but he should have already come to expect that. She gave him an apologetic smile, and the large man just shook his head.

"Do you want the story or not," he said to the woman on the other line.

There was a moment of silence.

"Fine," the snail said, finally. "You better make this worth my time."

"Roger that, Chief," Vetica called back.

Then she began to pedal with unparalleled ferocity.

-8 years earlier-

"What should we do about this one," a woman said looking down at a stack of papers and the twelve year old Vetica. "Her writing is excellent, but her looks..."

Vetica stood in the spotlight, before the shadowy board of World Reporting Guild heads. Several months of writing till her fingers blistered and hitchhiking on a naval ship had been the only thing that had gotten her to this point. Now the fate of her dream rested in their hands.

* * *

"She's too scrawny," a deep man's voice said.

It was true; Vetica knew it. Her hair puffed out in a wavy mess from her rudimentary ponytail, and her clothes weren't pretty or feminine. She didn't have any older sisters or mother to show her how to be a proper girl.

"Of course she's skinny," an elegant woman's voice snapped. "She's only twelve. She's the youngest applicant we've had in years, and her writing samples are nearly flawless. Not to mention she passed all of her tests with flying colors."

"She practically flunked the hearing tests," the deep voiced man corrected her.

"And the name, Fuller," an older man rasped. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Fuller Marlon, would you?"

"Ummm..." Vetica murmured, trying to figure out which of the shadows was asking.

"Well, speak up," the deep man's voice said impatiently.

Vetica perked up, feeling quite aware of the fact that this interview was not going well. She took a deep breath.

"Yes," she answered clutching the sides of her shorts. "He was my father."

This triggered a great deal of murmuring from the panel. The only pieces of which the girl could catch were the things she had heard frequently growing up: "No wonder she writes", "should have kept his nose where it belonged", "such a shame".

After a couple of coughs and grumbles the deep man's voice permeated the air once more. "Very well, I suppose we could put her in the assistant track for now..."

A dark complexioned woman leaned from the panel into the light, so that Vetica could see her dark intelligent eyes.

"Congratulations Vetica," the woman said, putting a face to the elegant voice. "Welcome to the Guild."

* * *

By the time they arrived at Grove 46, Rider and Vetica could see explosions in the distance. The young woman took a deep breath; no matter how many times she was around battles it never failed to leave her in awe.

"Pacifistas?" the older man asked.

She nodded bringing the bike to a halt. "Probably."

They parked themselves near one of the great roots of the trees which made up the archipelago and began unpacking their gear. She pulled out her camera snail, note pad, and pen. She placed the snail on her shoulder, before creeping towards the action.

"Shashi. Camera Ready," she whispered to the snail. The snails eyes shined.

As she snuck up over the ridge, Rider followed closely behind with his manual camera. She could see bodies flying through the air in every which direction, then she heard a yell.

"Pacifista," A man's voice yelled. "Target the real Monkey D. Luffy!"

A surge of exhilaration passed through Vetica. He was here!

She dropped to the ground and began a full on sprint, towards the action.

"Vetica! Slow down!" Rider called out after her.

But it was too late; once she was on the hunt she couldn't stop. She climbed the next root, to see a skinny man in a red shirt and straw hat in the air above a Pacifista. She bore down against the roots top to begin writing.

"Snap," she ordered the snail, and a bright flash emanated from her shoulder.

Monkey D. Luffy's fist smashed with a great explosion into the Pacifista.

"Snap!"

Then two blurs whizzed over her head, causing the woman to look up. As if the world was in slow motion she saw a man in robes with three swords and a blonde in a black suit. Her mouth dropped open. She was sure that they were "pirate hunter" Zoro and "Blackfoot" Sanji.

"Snap," she breathed.

The snail obeyed.

There was another explosion, causing Vetica to snap back to attention. She looked around to see the naval soldiers in a panic as the pirates began fighting the remaining Pacifistas. She then began writing down as many details as she could. She counted the number of pirates, the number of soldiers, she looked around for potential other Straw Hats, all the while ordering the snail to take pictures. Then she saw "Straw Hat" Luffy looking in her direction.

"Shit," she whispered and pushed off of the root. She ducked underneath a crack in the root. Then she looked back at her friend, who followed her lead taking cover underneath a root.

Then Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, "Blackfoot" Sanji, and about a dozen or so pirates and marines came busting over the root in wave of chaos. Vetica couldn't help but grin in excitement. According to her directional approximation, they all seemed to be headed towards Grove 40. She looked back over at Rider through the chaos who shot her a thumbs up.

They stayed in their hiding spots until the stampede died down, and then snuck over to where the damaged Pacifistas were lying. The two dozen or so marines that seemed to be helping with the clean-up, medical, and prisoner transport, didn't even notice the pair until Vetica cleared her throat at which point she found herself at the business end of several muskets. She smiled and held up the Tanbou Badge which hung around her neck. They lowered their weapons.

"The press shouldn't be here," one mustached soldier spat.

Several other marines nodded in agreement with him, as the rest got back to work. Vetica wasn't too surprised; marines had never been her biggest fans, especially when they lost.

"What are the casualties," she asked, ignoring the nasty looks she received. "Monkey D. Luffy's return is big news."

"Five fatalities and Thirty-Six injuries," a young marine who was bandaging another volunteered, to the disgust of his comrade.

Vetica took notes and pictures as she questioned the marines until their commanding officers arrived and shooed her and Rider away. Once they got back to their retreat on Grove 50, they began going through all the information they had collected. The young woman was disappointed with how many of the pictures came out blurry, but the most important one turned out beautifully.

The next day her story, "Chaos Ensues as the Son of Dragon Returns", ran in the Grand Line Gazette featuring a picture of a steaming Monkey D. Luffy mid punch above a Pacifista. Her handler and chief was quite happy with the results and agreed to forgive Vetica's side trip.

"Just get yourself back over to the New World as soon as possible," was all the deep voiced woman had said. "Those rookies aren't going to cover themselves."

* * *

The alleyway was cold and dark. Vetica struggled against the rope that bound her wrists. All around her hulking men covered in piercings and tattoos were giggling manically as a figure approached her. She looked to her side to see her heavy set friend, Rider, unconscious and bound. The young woman tried her best to scream, but the cloth tied around her face made it difficult. As the figure got closer, she could recognize him as a young man with a green pompadour and fangs.

The man grinned devilishly and reached a clawed hand towards her.

She attempted to shrink away, to no avail.

"I can't believe it's you-dabe," the man whispered.

Vetica woke up.

She was dressed in a camisole and shorts but was covered in sweat. She breathed heavily, clutching her, now throbbing, tattooed left arm. She looked around the dark cabin, which rocked and creaked lightly. In the bed next to her's, Rider was snoring loudly. She let out a sigh of relief and went over to the bag which she fondly called "snail palace". She reached in and pulled out the snail which was her personal communicator.

"Shea, wake up," she whispered stroking the bubbly looking little snail's head.

The little snail stirred awake and looked up at her. People thought she was crazy naming them all; she had four separate snails with her at all times. Shea handled her personal calls. Bishi was for work calls. Boro was for video. Shashi took photos for her, and the smallest one, Kiite-chi, intercepted government channels. Some people at the academy called her the "crazy snail lady", but it didn't bother her too much. Each of her snails had a different purpose, and she appreciated their hard work.

She punched in the number and listened while Shea rang.

Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru... kachiku

"Hello?" A man's voice said, blearily. Shea's lids were half lidded, meaning the man on the other side more than likely just woke up.

"It's me," she whispered.

"Who else calls this thing-dabe?" he replied unenthusiastically.

"I don't know," she admitted. "You don't have ladies banging down your door, now that you're a hotshot?"

The man let out an objectively unattractive laugh. It was high pitched and grating, but it made Vetica smile.

"I take that back," she said. "No amount of power in the world could make you and that seasick pack of pups you have attractive."

"But you keep calling-dabe," the man said, clearly more awake now.

Vetica looked up at Rider to make sure he was still asleep and peeked around the hall outside before continuing their conversation.

"Where are you headed next, Barty?" She asked, cupping her hand around her mouth when she said his name.

"On my way to Dressrosa right now," Bartolomeo the "Cannibal" said. Then suddenly he seemed to get more excited. "Why? Are there new posters-dabe?"

Vetica leaned up against the cabin's wall and pulled her notepad out of her other bag. She wrote down "Dressrosa." Then she let out a sigh.

"No, not yet,"she said. "What are you going to Dressrosa for? I thought you didn't want to mess with any of the warlords."

"I don't-dabe," he said, distantly. "But Doflamingo is offering the Mera Mera no mi, to whoever can win this fighting tournament, and I'm going to win it for Luffy-senpai!"

There was the sound of trickling water over the snail, causing the young woman to scowl.

"Are you pissing while I'm talking to you?" She exclaimed.

"What? You woke me up-dabe!" The fanged man complained.

She rubbed her temple and sighed. Nearby came the sound of rustling, and Rider sat up rubbing his eyes. He cringed as he looked down at her on the snail.

"Are you talking to that scum again?" The older man asked, clear disapproval all over his face.

"It's business," she retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," the brown haired man replied, laying back down. "Just make sure the navy doesn't hear you..."

Vetica let out a short huff and checked the hallway again. Her friend wasn't wrong, if the navy realized that she was regularly calling a star rookie pirate, she would more than likely lose her Tanbou Badge or worse.

"Rider there-dabe?" Bartolomeo asked.

"Yeah," she grumbled. "And he's grouchy as ever."

"I read your latest article-dabe," the man said after a moment of silence. "You still in Sabaody?"

"Nope," she whispered. "We just entered the New World yesterday. Currently headed to Marine Headquarters to meet up with our new transport."

"So you'll be close," Bartolomeo mused.

"Don't you even think of trying anything," she said. "I don't have any new stories for you, just call me back after the tournament. I'll send you posters as soon as I get them."

"Yes, Vetica-senpai," the man said, firmly, and hung up.

Vetica returned Shea to the snail palace and climb back in bed. She usually preferred to communicate by letter, but the dream of the how they first met left her feeling paranoid.

It had been a little under two years now. She had been banished to Logue Town to write entrance and exit articles after submitting an article she had written about the jail break at Impel Down. She knew it had been on the "No Write" list, but in her opinion people deserved to know the truth. Opera had been furious though, so she sent Vetica to "Tourist Town" to write, essentially, fluff.

While she was wandering around the city gathering info on pirates who had arrived in port one day, she and Rider were directed to check out a tavern just off the docks. When they arrived they discovered that the tavern was closed and had been for a while. That made Vetica immediately suspicious; however, before she could act upon her instincts, a heavy board knocked the pair out from behind.

When she came to, she found herself bound and gagged, surrounded by thugs. A hulking figure approached her. She tried to break loose, but the ropes around her wrists were just too tight. As he got closer and she could better see his face, she recognized the man as one of the local mob bosses, Bartolomeo the Wall. His face was ugly like a demon's, but there was something off about the way he looked at her. He grinned devilishly, reaching out a clawed hand to stroke her cheek.

She tried to scream, but it only came out as a weird hum. She kicked at him, but the man was living up to his reputation of being undamageable.

"I can't believe it's you-dabe," He whispered, stroking her cheek.

Vetica was sure he was going to murder her.

Then the man held up a newspaper clipping, and pointed to it. At the bottom of the clipping was a picture of a woman that she distinctly recognized as herself. She stared wide-eyed at the clipping. The title of the article was "Straw Hat Strikes Again." She didn't have to read it to know its contents; she had written it.

She looked back at the hulking green haired man and noticed he was blushing furiously.

"You're her!" The man squealed. "You're Fuller Vetica-senpai!"

He turned to the men in the alley way with a scowl.

"Why's she tied up-dabe?" He screamed.

The men quickly exchanged looks, some confusion and some terror, like they were trying to decide who was to blame.

"You said to bring her at all costs," a skinny tattooed man responded.

Bartolomeo, punched the man in the face before proceeding to untie the woman.

"I'm so sorry Vetica-senpai," he apologized as he removed her gag. "It won't ever happen again-dabe."

Vetica looked past the man down the alleyway. It was clear; she could have run. However, she dared not risk making the seemingly good tempered thug angry. She looked down at Rider who was still unconscious. She sighed. She really couldn't escape without him.

She looked back up at Bartolomeo who was wringing his hands and staring at her with what she assumed was adoration.

"So, you know my work?" she said, trying to give him as genuine a smile as she could.

The man's eyes lit up.

"Of course-dabe! You're the woman who sought out the history of Luffy-senpai," the man exclaimed. "You documented his heroic battles, and even his moment of destiny here at Logue Town-dabe."

It was her turn to get excited; he really had read a lot of her work. That story about Luffy's miraculous survival, had barely made the third page of the gazette. Not to mention he was a fellow fan of her favorite pirate. She reached out and clutched his hands.

"You read that piece?" She said, cheeks growing warm.

He nodded enthusiastically. "I've read all of them!"

Vetica pressed her hands to her cheeks and purred. The eighteen year-old had never felt more appreciated in her life. She was sure she was blushing all over from the flattery. After all, being a journalist was usually such a thankless job.

Then Bartolomeo dropped to his knees before her and bowed.

"Please, Vetica-senpai," he yelled. "Tell me everything you know about Luffy-senpai and the Straw Hats-dabe!"

She bent down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course," she said. She looked down at Rider's battered face again. "But first could we get my friend some medical attention?"

Once they had taken Rider to the doctor, Bartolomeo took her to the gang's secret lair. He told her all about his dreams to be just like Luffy, and she in return told him everything she could about the Straw Hats. She told him about how the government tossed out her coverage of them during the Alabasta Civil War and the battle she had witnessed on the floating restaurant prior to that. Then he showed her his collection of wanted posters.

Bartolomeo was clearly proud of them, but in the eyes of the writer they were far from impressive. The corners were all damaged and you could distinctly see where he had ripped them from their original locations.

"You know I could get you better posters than this right?" She said, pointing at the wall.

"Really-dabe?" The man exclaimed.

She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "We get fresh copies from the guild all the time."

She could swear the man's eyes were sparkling. He crept closer to her.

"Do you have a collection, too Vetica-senpai?" He whispered.

"Are you kidding," She laughed, as she rummaged through her skirt pocket and pulled out a photograph. The man's jaw dropped when he saw it. "This is my prized possession."

In the photo Vetica was smiling in the foreground, holding up a peace sign. There was nothing remarkable about that. However, behind her, stood Monkey D Luffy with his hand over his heart at the destroyed base of Marineford.

She looked up Bartolomeo to see that he was crying. Tears of Joy. He was absolutely crying tears of Joy. She smiled; it was nice to see someone filled with such admiration. The man wiped his eyes and sniffled.

"It's beautiful," he said. "It would be perfect on the Going Luffy-senpai."

"Going Luffy?"

He had made a ship, and on its bow was an exact likeness of Monkey D. Luffy, stretched arms and all. The main cabin area was styled to look like the white rams head which had been featured on the Straw Hats original ship. On the stern was a gigantic reindeer head, obviously made to mimic the straw hats pet Tony Tony Chopper. It was borderline creepy how much time and effort had been put into it.

"That's pretty amazing," Vetica admitted, not knowing what else there really was to say.

The man let out a sigh beside her. "Isn't it-dabe? It's almost done, but it feels like it's missing something."

Vetica wracked her brain, thinking over all the pictures and instances that she had seen the straw hat ship and research she had done. Then it came to her.

"Trees," she blurted. "The Going Merry had orange trees from 'Cat Burglar' Nami's home town."

"Trees-dabe?"

"Yeah, her mom owned an orchard," the woman explained.

"I think I remember reading that-dabe," Bartolomeo said. "We'll have to put trees on before we set sail."

Vetica sighed. She wished she could get off this god forsaken island. She missed travelling around the Grand Line, but there was no way that Opera was ever going to let her leave Logue Town unless she had a good story. With how many people passed through Logue Town it was impossible to determine which of the many pirates would go on to become stars. Unless...

She grinned, looking up at Bartolomeo. He was already a well known criminal already in Logue Town and was rumored to be pretty much invincible. Plus, he had a terrifyingly harsh face. With a little bit of help he could easily become the next big player on the Grand Line.

He looked down at her questioningly.

"Bartolomeo," she cooed, a sly smile creeping across her lips. "How would you like me to help you?"

And that's how their relationship began. She sent him maps and ideas of how to put himself on the map: destroy a few towns, threaten a couple people, and be his normal obnoxious self. In return, he would send him news of what he did as well as any rumors that he had heard about other pirates in the area.

Opera brought Vetica back to the Grand Line upon the arrival of her first article about the man, "Terror of the Town, To Terror of the Sea." According to the Older woman it was the best entries and exits article she had ever seen, and she demanded that Vetica continue to follow the adventures of the thug, until that day happened...


	2. Chapter 2

Vetica rolled over, wrapping herself in soft cream sheets of linen. She groaned. Her head felt like it was bobbing up and down against the rocking of the Going Luffy. She blinked wearily. The sun was blinding as it streaked through the window of the cabin. In an adjacent room she could hear the muffled sounds of someone retching into some sort of bucket.

She clutched her head and sat up slowly, and, as she did, a cool breeze blew across her top. She wrapped her arms around herself. Skin contacted skin. Vetica's eyes grew wide. She didn't have her camisole on. She gasped and quickly lifted the sheets. Sure enough, she was completely naked and covered in weird bruises with a distinct wetness between her legs.

She stood and began wrapping the sheets around herself in a makeshift robe. She could only blearily remember the night before. She looked around the room, it seemed somewhat tidy and normal, maybe she was in one of the Barto-Club's extra cabins after all. Then she looked above the bed and felt her stomach roll. Mounted in a set of nine wooden picture frames were the wanted posters of the Straw Hat Pirates. That could only mean one thing.

She looked to the adjacent room as the sound of footsteps approached. Deep down she was praying that it was anyone but the one person she thought it was, but she was right. A bare foot stepped through the doorway as a naked Bartolomeo rounded the corner. The woman collapsed onto the bed. Bartolomeo stopped when he saw her, dropping his toothbrush on the ground.

The two stared at each other in disgust, shock, and silence.

It was all starting to come back to her now: the sake being poured; the laughter; her demanding to touch the man's abs; Rider trying to make her go to bed... They had been partying the night before to celebrate Bartolomeo's first bounty poster, 60,000,000 Belli for blowing up a major port. After six months of work and steady correspondence she felt like she should at least pay them a visit. She had brought the poster, and the crew insisted that she stay for some celebratory drinks. Her and Rider's transport had ditched them out of fear of the pirates anyways, so she had said "Why not." They insisted that she try the sake; she liked it, a bit too much. She had made Bartolomeo drink with her. Then pretty soon, much to the amusement of the crew, she began ordering the man around, demanding that he take his jacket off and dance with her. There was kissing; there was groping. After that the course could be easily guessed.

Vetica suddenly realized that she and Bartolomeo were still naked in the same room together. She took a deep breath.

"Where are my clothes?" She said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Bartolomeo just looked up in despair and collapsed, clearly just remembering what had gone on as well.

"Shit!" He exclaimed. "You are here-dabe!"

"Where the hell did you think I'd go!" She yelled. She cupped her face in her palms, and tried to keep from screaming. "Oh my god this can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening..."

"What do you mean?" The man asked, tears streaming down his face.

"You- me- we- we had...," she gasped, fighting the urge to barf. "We had sex... Oh god, We had sex. We had-!"

She clasped her hands over her mouth to keep herself from saying anymore. Her head was a raging river of emotions. She was beyond embarrassed. The panic on Bartolomeo's face wasn't helping. He seemed just as lost about the situation as she was, maybe even more so.

He was kneeling on the ground grasping his temples. Then he got up and went over to grab her shoulders.

"What do we do?" He asked, still crying and still naked.

Vetica pulled away from him, holding back tears of her own. She desperately looked around the room for her clothes and finally spotted them piled up in the corner. She made a mad dash for them, kicking the large man off of her legs. He collapsed on the edge of the bed and continued crying. She brought her hands back down; it was a bit easier to regain her strength with him acting so helpless.

"First, put some clothes on," she said, pointing to the other side of the room. She couldn't stand looking at his privates anymore, because every time she did all she could think of was... She shook her head. "And don't look; I'm going to change."

The man lifted his hands up in surrender, face still planted on the bed, and Vetica dropped the sheets from around her. As she pulled on her undergarments she heard a sniffle and the sound of rustling sheets.

"Did I do that-dabe?" She heard the man ask, his voice a little calmer than before.

She looked behind her, to see him staring at one of her bruises. She looked at the bruise more carefully and could see pronounced bite marks. She looked back up at him.

"Yeah, I'd say so," she said, a lot less angry than she thought she'd be at him. Then again, it was rather hard to be mad at someone who looked so miserable. She reached down and picked up her shirt. "I thought I told you not to look."

"Sorry," Bartolomeo said. "I didn't know you had a tattoo-dabe."

Vetica stopped. She looked down at her left arm for a moment before continuing to pull on her shirt. "So, you found my little secret."

"What is it?" He asked. His eyes were intense with curiosity.

"Scarab Beatles," she replied, trying to play it off as nonchalantly as possible. "They're supposed to be good luck in Alabasta."

Once she had finished pulling on her skirt she went back over to the edge of the bed and sat.

"Back when I was covering the civil war," she continued. Bartolomeo's eyes were transfixed on her. "I got shot. Bullet went right through my arm. I was lucky though. It didn't hit anything too important."

The large man slowly lifted up a hand to stroke her arm, where her tattoo hid. His fingers were light and gentle. It made woman briefly shudder until she looked over at him to see his still clearly exposed butt cheeks.

She violently pulled away and hit him. "Put your damn clothes on!"

After he was fully dressed the two sat on the bed side by side. Vetica was furiously writing notes on the pad of paper she had found in her shirt pocket. Bartolomeo just watched her, expectantly. Once she had filled up the page she ripped it off of the pad and handed it to him. The green haired man read it quickly.

"That's what the plan is," the young woman stated. "It's the perfect compromise. I get a promotion and medical attention, and you get a higher bounty."

Bartolomeo nodded slowly. Vetica could tell that he was thinking it over. Then he folded up the piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket.

"Sounds fine," he answered, giving another few nods.

The woman then pulled another piece of paper from her chest pocket and ripped it in half, one of which she handed to him.

"Also, this is my Vivre Card," she said. "That way you can find me if I need you for anything."

The man looked down at the this piece of paper, which lightly tugged in her direction. Then he looked back up at her. He was grinning in his usual creepy way.

"Vetica-senpai wants me to be able to find her-dabe!" He squealed.

The woman rolled her eyes and stood up, stashing the other half of the card.

"It helps my story if you're some creep who has sworn to track me until he decides to kill me," she said, before flashing a wild grin. "'Cannibal' Bartolomeo."

The two then exited the cabin to the whoops and catcalls of the Barto-Club crew. Rider stood across the way, hands clenched into fists. Vetica could distinctly see hatred in the usually calm man's eyes. Bartolomeo grabbed her arm, just as they discussed, and threw it up in the air.

"Men," The captain bellowed. "I have raped the reporter woman-dabe!"

The ship fell eerily silent. The crew's faces of joy had turned to faces of confusion. The only thing that could be heard was the footsteps of Rider as he charged forward.

"You Bastard!" The brown-haired man screamed, aiming a punch at Bartolomeo's face.

Bartolomeo leaned backwards, easily avoiding the punch. He then balled up his fist and punched Rider in the gut so that the man crumpled to the floor. Once on the ground he gave him a few more kicks for good measure. Then the captain pointed at several gawking crew men on the helm.

"Set course for the next Island," he ordered. Then he turned to his most trusted crewmate Gambia and tossed Vetica towards him. "And take the reporters to the storeroom-dabe."

The skinny, tattooed man handled her gingerly as they transported her and Rider down below deck. His facial expression was solemn, like he wanted to apologize for something. It was painful for Vetica to look at, so she just focused on the floor.

Rider did not look at Vetica for a full hour while they were in the storeroom, and, when he finally did, the look on his face made the young woman feel an immense weight. The silence was excruciating.

"Is it true?" The man finally asked.

Vetica looked down. She had lied to Rider over the years about a lot of different things, but this was one thing she knew she could not.

"No," she said simply.

The man's breath caught in the dark. Then he looked up wide eyed, and began to scoot towards her. "Then... you didn't-"

Vetica shied away from him. The amount of relief on his face just made her feel even worse. "We did."

The man stopped. The air in the room grew heavy again as the young woman could feel her friends rage rebuild. She gulped and wiped the tears, that were threatening to escape from her eyes. As far as her memory told her, she had enjoyed it, but the way the man was looking at her overwhelmed any happiness she might have felt with Bartolomeo at the time.

"That son of a bitch," Rider whispered. His breath was quaking. "I left for less than three minutes, and, when I got back, you were gone... I asked if you had left with him. They swore you hadn't. But then I heard you..."

Vetica's eyes grew wide; she could tell her friend was crying. The guilt and regret of what she had put him through was forming a knot the size of a whale in her gut. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known that much sake was a bad idea, but she had been carried away by the moment and infectious optimism of the crew. Another moment of silence passed between them.

"This was my idea," she said, forcing herself to smile. "I told him to say that."

"What are you talking about?" the man said.

"This. Us being here," she explained. "They are going to ask us to help set up a broadcast when we reach the next island."

Rider was staring at her, either dumbstruck or horrified. Whichever way, it didn't matter to Vetica; she had a big picture to worry about.

"Why?" the man gasped.

"Because I'm going to make a Star Rookie," she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

"What? Do you think you're better than us or something?" A a tall blonde girl screamed, followed by jeers from her cohorts.

Vetica, age twelve, was standing, stoic, in the hallway as the older girls yelled at her. One of the girls knocked the large stack of books from her grasp, causing them to tumble noisily onto the academy's tile floor. The young girl quietly bent down and began picking them up.

"You're father was a disgrace, just remember that," the girl continued. Vetica's hands started shaking. "Your name is worth nothing-!"

"Oh just lay off!" came a boys voice from down the hall.

Vetica looked up to see a tall brown haired boy about the other girls' age approaching them swiftly. He had a baby face and small brown eyes. The blonde girl sneered at him and walked off, kicking one of the books as she left. The boy knelt down next to Vetica and began helping her pick up the books.

"Don't worry. Not everyone becomes a total terror when they get older," he said, handing her a small stack of books. "Some people just don't know how to deal with competition well."

She cautiously accepted the books from him.

"Who are you?" She asked with a scowl.

The boy grinned and ruffled her hair. "People call me Rider."

* * *

Vetica leaned against a crate of gum in the dark store room and stared at the brown haired man across from her.

Rider had refused to talk to her ever since she had told him about her plan. Perhaps he didn't want to feel complicit in the situation, which was understandable. He had never really been a fan of her dealing with pirates, so the fact that she was outright helping them probably made him dislike her even more.

Most of the crew members who came by to visit on the other hand were very sympathetic. Some of them came to her outright crying and apologizing. Apparently, no matter how many people these guys had tortured and killed, rape was one of those things that was even too evil for them to condone. It actually made Vetica worry that their lie would cost Bartolomeo some of his crew.

Then she could hear the sound of feet running across the deck above them, along with yells. They must have been close to land. Then a few minutes later there was the sound of gunshots and yelling. Then, after the action had died down, a crew member opened the door and tossed their bags in.

"Barto-aniki says he wants you to set up a broadcast," the man said.

Rider looked at Vetica, eyes void and emotionless. Vetica looked at the surly faced crew member, who she recognized as one of the meaner ones, and nodded. Then she went over to the snail palace bag and pulled out Bishi, the business transponder, and Boro, the broadcast snail. She glanced back up at the intimidating man, who had positioned himself directly over her.

"We can't broadcast without clearance," she said, calmly.

The man seized Bishi and removed the receiver. Then he thrust Bishi's tail end at her.

"Call them," he ordered.

She obeyed and the snail began to ring.

Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru... Kachiku

"Go ahead," said a woman's voice.

"Opera!" Vetica yelled. "This is team Vetica!-"

The surly thug held the receiver up to his dirty mouth and shoved the young woman away.

"This is Patch from the Barto-Club pirates," he said in a low raspy voice. "We have your crew."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Vetica prayed that her superior would not hang up.

"Are they safe?" Opera asked. Vetica couldn't get a read on the tone of her voice.

Patch laughed.

"Yeah they're fine," he answered, looking down at Rider. "Barto-aniki's had his way with the girl, but they're in one piece. Can't say that they'll be that way for long though-cha."

"What do you want?" The woman replied.

"The captain wants to make a broadcast. Put us live on at least ten stations and we'll let your people go.

Vetica was not sure to be worried or extremely impressed by the way the man was negotiating. She had not anticipated having such a convincing captor. His voice was perfectly intimidating but calm. However, it did raise a few questions about how she would be treated if her handler did not give into their commands.

Vetica, Rider, and the pirate sat in frigid anticipation as mumbles crackled over from the other side, whoever Opera was talking to was too far away for the snail to pick up clearly. Then there was a loud rustle.

"Very well," Opera said. "I can have the stations ready in an hour."

It took all of Vetica's strength to keep from letting out a victory whoop when the snail hung up. She was biting her lips so hard it was starting to bleed, but she couldn't let the thug know that she was the mastermind of the operation. She looked over at Rider who simply gawked at her and shook his head.

Patch held the door open and nodded to them.

"Well, get it ready," he growled.

When they went above deck the could see a group of six pirates bound and gagged. Vetica knew them to be the Feathered Cap Pirates, a small group of cruel nobodies who were known to harass the natives of the island they were currently moored at. Things were working out just as she planned.

On the shore there was a gigantic bonfire with a whole pig roasting. By the fire stood Bartolomeo overseeing the preparations with clear glee. She looked back to the pirates, some of whom were crying. One bearded red-head in particular was making quite the show. She almost felt bad for them.

Vetica continued her march towards the shore, snail in hand. Rider followed closely behind with a stand for the snail. When they reached the plank they were stopped by Gambia, who was holding two lengths of rope. The woman handed Rider the snail and turned her back to the skinny man, allowing him to bind her wrists together. Then she walked down the plank into Bartolomeo's waiting arms.

"I'm sorry-dabe," the man said as he guided her over to the fire.

"Is everything ready?" She whispered, as she felt him slip a sharp object into her hands He nodded and sat her down on a small rock formation. She nodded back. "I'll create the distraction while you make the switch."

She then watched as Rider set up the snail and the pirates were brought down. Then Rider and each of the Feathered Caps we bound separately. Rider was placed near her, while the pirates met a crueler fate.

Each of them were tied hand and foot to large sticks which were stuck in the ground, and kindling was placed at their feet. Their sobs were loud and painful during the thirty minutes that they waited for the broadcast to start. All the while Bartolomeo took a serious role in finalizing the preparations. Vetica's stomach rolled in anticipation of the violence which was about to take place. The pork and pyres had been set; it was too late to call things off now.

"Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru..." Bishi rang.

Bartolomeo walked over to where they were and picked up the receiver.

"Are things ready-dabe?" He asked, in a vicious tone which Vetica had never heard before.

She felt herself begin to tremble. The hulking man had always been so nice to her over the past few months that she had begun to forget that he was a killer. This man she saw now was cold blooded, and for the first time she realized what she had just potentially gotten herself into.

"I want to see them," she heard Opera say.

Bartolomeo walked over to wear the broadcast snail perched and flipped him around so that it's eyes were facing the reporters. Vetica didn't have to fake her fear as he leaned in close. The look in his eyes was cruel. With a long wet stroke, he licked the side of her face, sending chills down her spine.

"You mean them-dabe?" The fanged man said, shoving the snail in Rider's face before turning the broadcaster back on himself. "As long as you're broadcasting they're safe-dabe."

"You're live," Opera's voice said.

"Perfect!" He then turned the snail to face the six tied up pirates. "These pirates were dumb enough to cross my path-dabe. So we have to make an example-dabe."

The man then carefully place the snail on its perch and grabbed a torch from the bonfire. The sound of her heartbeat was now echoing in Vetica's ears, as she watched him approach the first victim. The red-headed pirate thrashed in an attempt to get away. This was it. If things went wrong now, she would almost certainly lose her life either to the military or Bartolomeo.

With a small pop, the first pyre was lit, and the screaming began.

Vetica saw everything: his bulging tear filled eyes, the way his muscles spasmed with each crackle of flame, his adam's apple bobbing up and down as he struggled to breath, and the sickening black blistering which began to engulf his body. The young woman could not stop herself from crying, but she had the firm resolve not to look away. The marines did not flinch at an execution, so she would not either.

One after one the rest of the bound pirates were subjected to the same fate. Each of them screaming louder than the one before. Vetica felt sick, and, as she watched them, the memory of her plan began to trickle away.

Then, suddenly, a sharp movement nearby caught her eye. She looked towards it, to see Bartolomeo looking at her. His face was glistening. Was he also crying or was he sweating? He hadn't seemed bothered by the idea of execution before. So why did he look so troubled? He then glanced to something a few yards away from her. She followed his gaze. Propped up against a tree was the pig that had been roasting earlier. Vetica then remembered what she needed to do.

The young woman shifted the sharp object in her hands and began furiously cutting at the rope which bound her wrists. Once it came loose she leapt towards the broadcast snail's perch with all her strength, knocking it to the ground. She had come too far to let her feelings stand in the way of her ambitions. She then crawled in front of the snail, so that her entire body was blocking its eyes. Behind her she could here Bartolomeo's heavy footsteps scampering off towards the pig. Another one of the Barto-Club Pirates approached her.

"What are you doing?" He snarled, seizing her clothes.

"People shouldn't be forced to watch this," she screamed, grabbing the snail. She had to buy as much time as possible and this guy was ruining it.

After a minute of struggle the man switched tactics, grabbing her wrists. She clutched the snail till her knuckles turned white. "You're getting in the way of the captain's big moment!"

"You! Chop off that one's leg-dabe!" She heard Bartolomeo order, followed by affirmation and a sickening crunch.

The hands clasped around her wrists let go, and there was the sound of loud boots by her ear. A large clawed hand raked through her hair, lifting her off the ground. She glanced up to see Bartolomeo grinning with some hacked up meat wrapped in charred fabric clutched in one hand. She dropped the snail, and the other pirate rushed to pick it up.

Bartolomeo looked into the snail's eyes and took a large bite out of the meat in one hand. He then switched his grip from Vetica's hair to the nape of her neck. He took another bite of the meat and chewed some more. After he swallowed, he licked his teeth grinning at the snail.

"Remember this-dabe," he growled. "This is what will happen to any pirate, marine, or woman that crosses my path-dabe."

Vetica stared at the man; he was enjoying this moment way to much.

"You can end the broadcast now-dabe," he said, letting Vetica go, and taking another bite of the meat. He made a small wave towards the pirate holding the snail. "Black it out."

The man obeyed, throwing a black piece of cloth over the snail and tossing it over towards Rider.

"Prepare a boat for the reporters-dabe!" Bartolomeo called, as he walked away.

Vetica sat up and watched as the pirates began to go about the business of cleaning up. She glanced towards the rock where Rider was sitting. His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. Even throughout all the battles and wars they had been through, she knew he had never seen anything as bad as this. She slowly stood and walked over to him.

She reached out to hug him, but he shrank away.

Somewhere amid the chaos, she could hear Bishi ringing. She searched the ground around the rock formation and eventually found him and picked him up. She did not answer the phone though. Instead she went about making sure that all their things were packed up and ready to go.

Once she had completed her third check, one of the Barto-Club's crew approached her and nodded. By the shore was a small boat loaded with a crate, a barrel, and a folded blanket. Behind her two men were carrying Rider. They placed him in the boat, and Vetica climbed in after him. She looked back to the scene of their crime. The bodies were now barely recognizable as such, still smoldering, and Bartolomeo was walking towards them.

He smiled, revealing his pointy teeth, bits of meat still wedged in the crevices. Though she knew it was just pork, it still made Vetica gag. Something about the look in his eye was just too earnest for a man who had just murdered six people. She looked away as he reached the boat's edge. His hand grabbed hers and placed a heavy object in it. It was a rifle.

"In case the Marines don't find you first-dabe," he whispered.

Vetica glanced back up at the man. His expression was too kind for her to stand. She quickly took the rifle and sat down in the boat.

"Just do it already," she said.

And they pushed off towards the vast blue.


	4. Chapter 4

"What is this?" The tall, dark-skinned woman demanded, shaking a pink paper in her hand. A scowl wrinkled Opera's usually elegant visage.

Vetica stood in the woman's blue office. She looked out through the window overlooking Marie Joie's naval base. It had been a few weeks since, the incident that made Bartolomeo the "Cannibal" a major rookie.

She had received a promotion just as expected; she was now allowed to publish editorials. Her name spread throughout the Grand Line as the victim of Bartolomeo's ruthless appetite, and the articles she wrote of her tale had all landed front page spots. Of course, there had been some downsides as well…

Opera had put her on a travel probation and required her to go to counseling every week. Vetica still had nightmares of watching people burn, and her relationship with Rider could only be described as "rocky" at best. Which brought her to this moment.

"I'm not sure," Vetica replied calmly.

Opera's brows shot up as she slammed the paper on the desk in front of her.

"Okay. We'll play that game," Opera said, leaning back in her chair. "That is Rider's request for transfer."

Vetica's body felt cold. She had guessed that it was something involving her friend and knew that he was mad at her, but she didn't expect him to take it that far.

The other woman nodded as she studied her expression. "So he didn't tell you…"

Vetica looked down. "No m'am."

Opera cleared her throat, demanding the girl's attention. Vetica snapped back to face her and watched as Opera leaned across the desk.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that pirate, would it?" She asked in a hushed, almost warning, tone.

Vetica didn't answer. She averted her eyes; Opera's dark gaze was not called the "compeller of truths" for no reason.

"Rider is a tech of outstanding moral fiber. I'm sure he would not leave a friend who had been so victimized without reason."

Vetica's mind raced. If she remained silent for much longer, Opera would only be more suspicious. She ruffled her hair and threw her head back towards the ceiling.

"I don't know," she said, letting the actual nervousness she felt escape. "He hasn't really talked to me since we escaped. Maybe it's guilt… I don't know."

Opera sighed and stood. Walking to the far side of the room which held many picture frames full of news clippings featuring images of famous pirates. Vetica watched her gently lift a hand to touch one frame.

"I've always felt you were very bright, Vetica," the woman murmured. "Brave, eloquent, ambitious… Very much like myself when I first started out."

Silence passed between them, as Opera stroked a picture's edge.

"Did I ever tell you about how I made my name?"

Vetica shifted her weight uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like she had been transported back to university.

"You were the first to report about the king of the pirates," she droned.

Opera whipped around, a fox like grin gracing her lips.

"No," she corrected her. "I made the king of the pirates."

Vetica grimaced, suddenly feeling a gnawing suspicion about what was coming next.

"You see," the woman said, gliding over to a pirate's sword which hung on the. She carefully removed it. "A pirate without a name, no matter how much treasure they have, upon death, is just a common criminal."

With a flourish, she pantomimed slitting her throat. Vetica shivered. Opera once again sheathed the sword and returned it to the wall.

However," she continued. "Give a pirate a name, then… then they become a legend."

She then gestured to the wall behind Vetica. Vetica turned to see, framed in iron, the wanted poster of Gold Roger.

The young woman could feel sweat beginning to pool on the back of her neck.

"I don't think he ever forgave me for changing his name," Opera said, wistfully, coming to her side. "But nobody was going remember a man named 'Gol'. Sounds like a bird, utterly ridiculous…"

She smiled. "But 'Gold'… Now that's a name that could rule the world."

The parallel between Opera's story and Vetica's own experience was becoming painfully clear.

Opera then placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing Vetica to face her.

"So you see," she whispered. "I don't care if you tell me that man berated you or murdered your entire family. You do what you have to do to sell papers."

The woman then scooped the pink sheet off her desk and shoved it into Vetica's chest.

"But you better fix this."

Vetica quietly accepted the paper from her handler and gulped, knowing that the task ahead of her was not going to be easy.

"Yes, m'am."

Then Opera made her way back to her seat. She picked up a small stack of documents and waved a hand towards the door.

"You may go."

Once Vetica had made it back to her room, she collapsed onto the bed with a groan. She took a moment to compose herself before clamoring over to where her snail, Shea, slept. She picked up the snail's receiver and stroked its head.

Slowly the snail's eyes opened.

"Call Rider," she ordered.

The snail rang. Vetica could feel frustration begin to set in with each dial tone. Then finally there was an answer.

"Hello?"

His voice sounded groggy, despondent. The snails eyes were barely half open in what appeared to be a scowl.

"Rider it's me-"

He hung up.

Vetica slammed the receiver back down before giving Shea an apologetic pat. Then she began to make her way towards the male barracks.

Free lodging in government buildings was one of the many privileges awarded to badge holders, which was the only thing that made it remotely possible for their headquarters to be located in such a place as Marie Joie. There was no way that any of the reporters or tech could afford to live in the gilded streets; even if they did have the money, it was too risky. There were many horror stories of reporters being shot or enslaved because of interacting with a Celestial Dragon.

As she passed a group of marines she finally spotted the sign she was looking for.

She opened the door.

Rider looked up at her from his desk where he was working on equipping a transponder snail of some kind. He had pronounced dark circles under his eyes, and his usually flushed, round face was wan. Vetica could feel a tight knot form in her stomach. She suddenly began to wonder if the man had eaten in days. Did he suffer the same nightmares that she still had of that day? He certainly looked like he did.

A flash of resentment clearly crossed Rider's face, and turned his attention back to his work.

"You shouldn't be over in this wing," he grumbled.

"It's not as if it's illegal," she shot back.

Vetica looked around the room. There were papers scattered everywhere. Hung upon the wall was a picture, which the woman recognized as one they had taken together, with her face scribbled out in black ink.

"That's a bit harsh," she commented.

Rider let out scoff. "What? Harsh like murdering people?"

Vetica's heart stopped. She quickly glanced behind her for marines. No one.

She let out a sigh and closed the door. "I didn't kill anyone."

"Fine. Harsh like asking a psychopath to murder people for you... whatever."

A surge of irritation flooded over Vetica. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. It was times like this that she questioned why Rider had even decided to go into the journalism field. He had way too many morals for this job, probably why he had stayed in the Assistant track when Opera had offered to have them both transferred over to reporting. However, his morals were also one of the things that made her respect him.

"They were pirates, Rider," she murmured.

"That doesn't make it better," he replied, seeming to calm down a little bit. "You'd be upset if something happened to that green-haired piece of garbage, wouldn't you?"

Vetica's face grew warm. "He's different..."

"He's not-," Rider started to say.

"He is. Because he listens to me."

Rider looked up at her. His brown eyes were cold. Vetica stiffened up.

"Don't fool yourself," he said. "He's listened to you so far because you've been helping him, but the second he wants something from you, he's going to treat you exactly the way he's treated everybody else he's terrorized."

Vetica wanted to argue with him. She wanted to say he was wrong and that she was in control, but the memory of the Bartolomeo had grinned during the execution burned in her mind. Rider was right; Bartolomeo could have just as easily killed the two of them along with those men if that was his desire. But the pirate's concern for her safety had seemed so genuine... It made her head feel so muddled.

Rider picked up the transponder snail, and placed on the other side of the room with several others. "Did Opera tell you I petitioned for transfer?"

Vetica looked away from him. "Yeah. She said I should try to make things right with you..."

There was a moment of silence. Vetica could feel sweat beginning to pool on the back her neck. These types of conversations were definitely not her forte.

"She doesn't want to lose you," She continued. "You're good at your job, and I don't think I could get another tech to work with me without it being weird. They think I'm difficult."

She heard something like a snort come from Rider. "That's the understatement of the century."

She glanced back to see him bent over the bed, folding something that looked like more papers. Her brows knit themselves in confusion before he straightened up and turned around. He approached her and held out an envelope. His face was devoid of any emotion.

Vetica's heart froze. This was it. He was really leaving her. He shoved the envelope at her. She grabbed it and threw it on the ground.

"Fine! I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through all that, but I'm not going to apologize for what I did. If you wanted an unambitious reporter to work with you could have left a long time ago. Don't ditch me now, after everything we've been through"

Rider stared at her for a minute before shaking his head and picking the letter up. He then went over to the picture. With his thumb he wiped the dark ink scribble over her face. It disappeared.

"There. Was that hard," he said, smiling as he turned around.

Vetica was too shocked and confused to answer. All she could do was accept as he forced the letter into her hands once more.

"Give that to Opera," he said. "It's my letter of apology and intent to cancel my transfer request..."

Vetica's eyes grew wide. Her heartbeat raced. Tears began to threaten her eyes. She looked up at him. She wasn't sure whether to be angry or ecstatic. "But... I scarred you... Weren't you mad at me? I murdered those people... I..."

He shrugged. "I was, but then I remembered you've taken me face to face with death before... just the first time you've been involved in it."

He then placed a hand on her shoulder. Vetica looked into his eyes; they were much darker now.

"I still haven't fully forgiven you for killing those guys. Even if you do seem to have a conscience about it," he said. "If Bartolo-shitbag wants to do it on his own time that's his own business, but I don't want you to put any more blood on your hands."

Vetica nodded. "That's fair."

Rider then patted her on the head and opened the door. "Now tell the boss I'm sticking around a bit longer."

* * *

"You're gonna get us in trouble," Rider hissed, his voice cracking with signs of puberty.

Vetica shushed him with a warning motion and crept into the dark dressing room of the Academy. The rows of make-up and styling tools inside were a privilege reserved for the talent track students only. Slowly and quietly, the thirteen year-old girl went about selecting her make-up by lantern light. Once she had a good array she took a seat at one of the large mirrors.

Reluctantly, after a few seconds, Rider joined her. He took the seat beside her and watched as Vetica attempted to pull her hair back. He sighed and grabbed the brush from her, eliciting a flurry of explicit protests from the younger girl. He seized a handful of her frizzy dark hair and began to brush.

"You have to get all the knots in the back out before you can brush the rest," he muttered. After a couple strokes of the brush, Vetica relaxed, letting him pull her hair into a ponytail. She began to open the lipstick, but a sharp tug on the hair from Rider stopped her. "Just let me do it."

A few minutes later Rider moved out of the way to allow Vetica to see her reflection in the mirror. She stood and leaned over the countertop, speechless as she admired the pretty girl that stared back at her.

"Not bad," Rider said, crossing his arms.

"What are you two doing here?" A woman gasped.

Rider and Vetica both stared up in horror at the dark-skinned woman, who seemed just as horrified to see them. The woman looked the girl over.

"What's your name?" She demanded.

Vetica looked down, and bit her lip, considering a lie. However, the woman's face was stern and intelligent. It would only be a matter of time before the woman found out the truth, and that would get Vetica in even more trouble.

"Fuller Vetica," she said.

"Assistant track, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

The woman nodded, before glancing over at Rider who was frozen like a startled deer. There was something softer about her expression as she looked him over as well. She took a deep breath.

"Very well," she said. "Put the stuff up and go to bed. You know this area's off limits."


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, come now, Petty Officer Nimo," Vetica cooed, leaning on the now sweating marine's desk. Outside on the ship's deck there was the sound of the seamen running their usual drills, which had given Vetica a moment alone with the man responsible for the ship's records. She unbuttoned the top of her blouse, and pouted. "I just need an hour alone. It's for a good cause."

The marine gulped, leaning away, not so subtly eyeballing her cleavage. "I- I don't believe I could do that Ma'm."

She ran a finger under his chin, causing his jaw to go slack. "But how can I properly write about the glorious conquests of the great Rear Admiral Mitt and the brave men of the 28th branch without looking through the logs?"

The man licked his lips and looked towards the office door. He then stood and quickly crossed to a large set of file cabinets and unlocked one. From it he withdrew two thick manila folders filled with papers and placed it on the desk in front of Vetica. The young woman stared down at it, attempting desperately not to sigh in frustration.

"You can just return it tonight," The marine said, staring at her cleavage again.

Vetica picked the folders up and rebuttoned her top. "Thank you."

As she made her way back to her cabin, she swore under her breath. What she had actually wanted was to be let into the vault where they kept the scouting files they were transporting to G-2. However, it wasn't a total wash, considering she actually did have to write an article on Rear Admiral Mitt's 20th anniversary with the Marines, and when she had interviewed the marines aboard the ship they had been absolutely useless.

This was her first assignment since being "forgiven" by Opera and Rider. Though it felt more like she was being punished, since the woman had reassigned her to cover Fleet stories from the dull confines of the G-2 base.

Inside the cabin Rider was still asleep on one of the cots they had been provided, snoring. She dropped one of the folders on him with a loud thud. The man startled awake. He glanced down at the folder on his chest and groaned. "Good morning!"

"Can't you do the research yourself?" He grumbled, tossing the file to the side and flipping over.

Vetica smacked him with the remaining folder, before making her way to the small desk. "It will go faster if we split the load; I have to get these back tonight."

Rider chuckled as he sat up. "You're losing your touch."

Vetica opened the folder and removed its contents. "Eh. Didn't feel like giving the whole show, with them running drills outside."

The two poured over the documents for hours, taking notes as they went. As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Vetica's shoulders began to hurt. Rider had opted to take a power nap, and things on deck seemed to be quieting down. Perhaps a break would be good for her. She quietly went to the Snail Palace and retrieved Shea.

She entered the number and listened to the snail ring.

"Vetica-senpai!" Bartolomeo's voice exclaimed, causing the poor girl's heart to almost stop beating.

She placed her hand over the den den mushi's mouth, and let out a small hiss.

"I'm on a marine ship right now, you moron," she whispered.

"Oh! Where are you dabe?" He asked.

Vetica inwardly groaned. From the tone in his voice one would think that she had just told him what she had for lunch. She stood and went to the window. Across the ocean she could see a cluster of trees and the silhouette of a Ferris Wheel. "It looks like we are just passing Sabaody."

"Interesting," Bartolomeo said.

Vetica Looked down at the snail in confusion. "What do you mean?"

There was no direct answer, just indistinguishable chatter on the other end of the line. Her pulse sped up.

"Barty, what do you mean?"

There was the distinctive click of the phone call ending.

"Dammit." She muttered, putting Shea away. The man must have had something come up. Hopefully he hadn't run into any marines. He had never hung up on her before. She sighed and smacked Rider lightly over the head on her way back to her desk. "Nap time's over."

As she stared at the logs, Vetica found herself having trouble focusing. The seamen outside were singing bawdy songs as they worked, and someone in the cabin next door was banging on something. Maybe they were repairing something. Bartolomeo had talked about making some sort of repairs on the Going Luffy last time they had spoken. He didn't specify what, but it probably wasn't anything too important. She and Bartolomeo had been speaking more and more over the past few weeks. All things considered they should be speaking less, but, for whatever reason, whenever she was bored, she found herself calling him.

Vetica was snapped from her daze by the sound of yelling. It was the marines. She looked around the room. Rider was already on his feet with the snail palace in hand. Vetica grabbed a dagger out of the desk drawer and went to the door. Outside Marines were rushing towards some kind of enemy. She watched in horror as a small horde of Marines were shoved over the ship's railing by an invisible force. She readied her blade and pressed her back to the wall. Rider joined her.

Then everything outside went eerily quiet. Vetica slowed her breathing, as the sound of heavy footsteps approached. Vetica's heartbeat was so loud in her ears, she barely heard them stop. With an explosive bang the door caved in, and a mass of green peaked into the cabin. Vetica swung the knife.

Suddenly Bartolomeo's face came into view at the tip of her blade. She stopped. The man stopped. The sound of the captain shouting orders filled the silence between them. The knife clattered from her hand. Bartolomeo smiled at her.

"How did you-" she started, but before she could finish the man had wrapped an arm around her waist and slung her over his shoulder.

Out of instinct Vetica screamed. A small division of Marines was barreling towards them. Then, just like with the others, what seemed to be an invisible bulldozer shoved them overboard. Bartolomeo let out a whistle.

"I've got her-dabe!" He yelled.

A large flying fish with a man in the saddle suddenly sprung into view along the side of the ship. Bartolomeo leapt on behind him, knocking the wind out of Vetica.

"Go! Go! Go!" Another man yelled, and they tore off across the ocean.

Vetica's heart sped up, as she began to grasp the situation she was in. She lifted a fist to hit her captor's back, but he moved her to his lap before she could. Vetica stared up at Bartolomeo's toothy grin. His chest was welcome and warm in comparison the cold ocean mist which pelted her face, and Vetica could feel her panic subsiding.

"Where are you taking me?" She yelled.

Bartolomeo looked ahead. Vetica's gaze followed. Ahead of them was the distinct outline of the Sabaody Groves.

When they arrived at a deserted grove they were greeted by a tall handsome blonde man. As Bartolomeo helped Vetica off the flying fish, the man's eye twitched in the ugliest wink she had ever seen. She shuddered. Bartolomeo approached the man and embraced him.

"Thanks for your help," Bartolomeo said, before handing him a small brown purse. "5,000 belli, just like we promised-dabe."

"Anything for another Straw Hat supporter," The man said, flipping his hair dramatically. "Besides, it's always a pleasure to help a man rescue a woman."

Vetica scoffed, but watched quietly as Bartolomeo and the man finished their discussion, at which point the riders took off, leaving the him and her alone.

Vetica crossed her arms, as The pirate approached her, cheerily.

"Is there some particular reason, you felt the need to kidnap me?" She snapped.

Bartolomeo's smile dropped.

"How else would I get to see you?" He said. "Besides, you were right there-dabe."

Vetica placed a hand to her forehead. This was why he had dropped off the line after she mentioned Sabaody. But even then, there was no way of her knowing that he had made it this far on his journey. That meant it wouldn't be long before…

"Still, you can't just come barreling over every time I'm nearby," she said. "I could lose my job if they found out we have relations."

Bartolomeo grinned. " I know. That's why I kidnapped you."

The earnest in his eyes was brutal. Vetica just could not stay mad when he looked like that. He was like a gigantic puppy, who just happened to have killed lots of people. She sighed, looking from the sea to Bartolomeo.

"You aren't going to let me go, are you?"

The man shook his head.

"Well I suppose this counts as a nice break from reading," she said, stretching. "So what did you have in mind?"

Bartolomeo clasped her hands and bowed down low. "Please spend the next few days with me-dabe!"

Vetica pulled away. "Woah, woah, woah! A few days? I have work to do."

The man looked up at her eyes glistening with tears.

She grimaced. He was acting as if she had a choice in the matter. She looked out to the sea to see the tiny silhouette of a ship that she had just been on. As much as she hated the idea of losing work days, the possibility of her Star getting captured was way worse.

She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on," she muttered. "They'll have radioed here by now. We should get disguises if we don't want them to find us."

Bartolomeo beamed, picking up his pace, before picking up her and bolting for the next Grove. Vetica struggled for a moment in his grip, but quickly decided that things were probably best this way. Not to mention, his muscular shoulders felt nice in her hands.

He put her down once they found a clothing store. The store owner didn't seem alarmed by their appearance. Vetica tucked her Tanbou badge in her shirt before picking out a sundress and headscarf off the rack.

Once she finished changing, she was surprised by the tall well dressed man in a fedora who greeted her. The man then slouched back and cocked his head to the side, making him look more like a mafioso than gentleman. He picked his ear, causing Vetica to narrow her gaze. The illusion was lost, not even a tux would probably be able to hide Bartolomeo's crass demeanor. She handed him the price tag off her dress.

"Straighten up your stance and pay the man," she said, giving his arm a light smack. The man let out a disgusted whine. She laughed. "Should have thought about that before you kidnapped me."

After their accounts were settled, the pair was free to walk at a more relaxed pace through the groves. Vetica was awed by all the structures and the innovative ways that the residents used the natural occurring bubbles. For some reason, there was something nostalgic about the whole thing. Then a stand caught her eye. A man selling bikes that utilized the bubbles as a floatation aid.

She grabbed Bartolomeo's arm and pointed. "That looks like a much easier way to travel."

The man nodded and they went over to the vendor.

"One bike, please," she said putting on her sweetest smile.

The vendor cocked an eyebrow at her. "To buy or rent?"

Vetica blinked, back, unsure of how to respond. "Well how much-"

Bartolomeo suddenly intruded, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him up in the air. The vendor gasped, fear in his eyes as he stared down at the pirate.

"Give us the bike!" He growled.

Vetica almost felt bad as the peddled off to the next grove. Then again, the man was more than likely going to attempt to rip them off anyways. Although illegal she had to admit that the pirate's methods were frugal.

"Where should we go-dabe?" He asked.

Vetica looked up in thought. Then through the tree tops she spotted the corner of the Ferris Wheel.

"I don't think I've been to the amusement park before," she said, half to herself.

The large hands on the handlebars turned the bike towards where she was looking.

"Then let's go!"

She looked back at Barty.

Maybe it was the heat of the sun, but she could have sworn that he looked like a halfway handsome human being at that point. She had never seen this much focus out of him, outside of violent circumstances. She felt herself gulp and quickly whipped around to face the path.

Now that she thought about it, he had never told her what he was doing spending time in Sabaody. It was most commonly a stop that pirates made to get their ships coated so they could travel to the new world, but that would mean that Barty was about to face mortal dangers.

"Barty," Vetica said, clutching her seat. "Where is your crew?"

The man audibly grinned.

"Oh them-dabe?" He said. "They are waiting for the ship to be fully coated-dabe"

So, she was right.

"So you're planning on going to the New World," she whispered.

"Ah!" The man exclaimed pointing up at the large structure which now loomed above them. He reached out towards it. "It's so amazing!"

Vetica agreed. There was something quite whimsical about the baskets which hung high in the sky. Then she felt a moment of panic as she reached for the bike's steering.

"Idiot! Don't let go of the handlebars!"

The line for the Ferris Wheel was longer than she expected. If they hadn't taken the time to bike all the way there, Vetica would have just suggested they leave. After all, who knew if that bike vendor had called the Marines. However, Bartolomeo insisted that the line didn't bother him, though that could have been because with each shift in his posture, more and more people in front of them left the line. In no time the two of them had made their way to the loading bay and boarded the carriage.

As it slowly lifted off into the sky, Vetica was amused by how stiff Bartolomeo seemed to get. She laughed and plopped down in the seat next to him. The man tensed, looking at her with disapproval.

"So you do have a weakness," she mused.

As she looked down over the amusement park below, a sudden wave of familiarity came over her. She could distinctly remember this same view from when she was much smaller. There was the smell of cotton candy as she held her father's warm hand.

The sensation of a large hand on her shoulder shook her from her daydream. Her hand was clasped over her mouth. She quickly removed it and looked over at Bartolomeo who was beginning to look more confident. He slowly stood, looking out over her.

"I lied," She murmured, causing Bartolomeo to give her a confused look. "I have been here before... A long time ago, with my father."

Bartolomeo stared at her in shock. "You mean you used to live here-dabe?"

Vetica shook her head. She could feel her face start to flush, as she was filled with childhood memories. "My father was a reporter, so we traveled a lot. He'd take me to see all sorts of historical sights and people. When I was little I just assumed he knew everybody. Turns out he just loved people and the truth."

"What happened to him-dabe?"

"He was murdered."

"And Your Mom?"

"None to speak of."

Vetica shook her head, attempting to clear all the dark thoughts which were beginning to cloud her vision.

"What about you?" Vetica asked, standing and making her way to the other side.

Bartolomeo braced himself against carriage walls as it rocked. She laughed at him. She looked down. They were high enough now that the people below looked like mice scurrying about. After the carriage stopped shaking he answered.

"I had a mom," he said.

Vetica's brows shot up. "Oh? I didn't expect you to be a mama's boy."

He smiled. "She used to make the best food-dabe! Pork and fritters!"

The man was visibly drooling, and Vetica could almost see the food through her eyes.

"So what happened to her, my tragic hero?"

Bartolomeo wiped his mouth and sat down, taking up the entire seat. "When I was nine, she said I was a monster and told me to leave and never come back. So I did-dabe."

Vetica blinked at him. He didn't look upset, like he had fully accepted and made peace with the fact that the person who had brought him into this world wanted him gone. There was a pang in her gut. She looked up; they were nearing the ride's pinnacle. Then she looked down at the insect like beings below.

"Humans can be so disgusting sometimes, can't they," She said. Bartolomeo's eyes grew wide as he looked at her. "They'll tell you they love you and always support you one second, but then, the second you need them, force you out, claiming that there was nothing to be done."

The man leaned towards her, eyes seeming to devour her every word.

"My father used to say people just want the truth," She continued. "I used to agree, but... if I have learned anything, it's that humans only want narrative. We crave tales which fit into our reality. Everything else goes to the wayside."

"That sounded like an article of yours-dabe," Bartolomeo commented in awe.

Vetica felt her heart flutter for a second at the absurdly light compliment after her dark rant and gave a little mock bow. "Only the best, from the world's future News Mistress."

His rust-colored eyes were still transfixed on her. Vetica cleared her throat and quickly sat down in the seat across from him. She looked out the window at the passing tree line, hoping the thudding in her chest would die down. It had been a long time, since she had been able to speak that freely about her father. Ever since her days in the academy, his name had been a sort of taboo, forcing her to keep it bottled up.

Perhaps it was because he was a pirate, but Barty always seemed to pull these things out.

They spoke of only happy things the rest of the way down: their favorite foods, the beautiful ocean, and Bartolomeo's new "Barrier Barrier" devilfruit powers he had used when he kidnapped her. And as she laughed, Vetica realized, there was an unexpected ripple in her world.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun's golden light began the last arc of its descent among the foliage when they left the Ferris Wheel. Despite the fact that the alert of her kidnapping should have gone out hours ago, there was not a marine in sight. Vetica readjusted her scarf, and felt her stomach rumble. Bartolomeo looked down at her, clearly also hearing it.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," she muttered, defensively.

"I saw a bar, a little ways back-dabe," Bartolomeo suggested.

Vetica considered the potential number of Marines that might linger in a similar place. "Was it seedy?"

Bartolomeo nodded.

"Fine. Let's go."

As they entered the pub, Vetica noted the gangs of misfits which littered the room's tables. He had most certainly been right about it being a seedy bar. Their hungry eyes watched the couple, more than likely because of their nice clothes. Perhaps Vetica had miscalculated, but where else were they going to eat?

They took a seat at the bar and were welcomed by a bald, elderly gentleman with one missing eye.

"Can I get'chu folks anyting to drink?" He drawled.

"Two beers, please," Vetica answered, carefully watching the two punks which had just risen to their feet behind them.

The barkeep left. Bartolomeo seemed to either not notice or care as the pair swaggered up, sneering.

The bartender handed Vetica and her companion their beers. Bartolomeo took a swig. One of the men pulled a knife from his pocket, leaning on the bar next to them.

"You tourists sure picked the wrong hang to walk into," he said. He flicked the blade's tip towards Vetica. "So I suggest you hand over your wallet, that is, if you don't want anything to happen to your cute friend here."

It took a lot of strength for Vetica not to scoff at the threat. This poor fool had no idea who he was talking to. She was no stranger to a knife fight. Bartolomeo didn't even acknowledge them.

Apparently she didn't hide her emotions well enough, because their mugger seemed to be growing more agitated by the second. Though with Bartolomeo's Barrier Barrier Fruit, it wasn't like anything too crazy could happen.

Bartolomeo took another drink of beer and looked at Vetica. "I don't really care what food you order-dabe. But nothing too expensive, okay?"

"Being stingy now," she teased. "I see how this is."

"Hey, I bought you the dress-"

"I'm pointing a knife at you right now dammit!" The punk screamed. He thrust the knife towards her again. "I will cut her!"

The expression on Bartolomeo's face went dark. He turned to their agitated assailant, fangs peaking out through his lips. Vetica watched with amusement as the blood drained from the young man's face.

A blue transparent barrier flew up between them and slammed the two punks against the wall.

Bartolomeo stood and crossed over to them, fingers crossed. He leaned in close to them.

"Even attempt to touch her-dabe and I'll crush your skulls. Understood-dabe?" He hissed.

Vetica felt her heart pound in her chest, but wasn't sure if it was from flattery or fear. On one end she dreaded seeing him enact violence, but the other end wondered just how far he would go for her sake. Whichever it was there was definitely some sort of primal instinct that the man elicited from her whenever he was like this.

Bartolomeo uncrossed his fingers and the barrier disappeared. He then straightened up as the two punks scampered off.

"You're crazy, man!" One yelled as he ran out the door.

The switch back to his usual jovial demeanor was almost instantaneous, as he made his way back to his seat. He beamed expectantly at Vetica. It was almost as though he was a small child awaiting praise for his actions. She looked around at the other pub patrons who had all migrated as far away from them as possible.

Then she smiled at him and handed over the menu. "I'll let you pick what we eat."

He happily accepted it and looked it over for a second, before raising his hand.

"Two burgers, old man!"

After eating they made the decision to leave as soon as possible, just in case the punks recognized Bartolomeo and decided to go to the marines.

The sky had darkened to a light purple, casting the dimly lit streets in a light blue hue. Vetica gently guided the bubble bike next to her, as they strolled through a grove which seemed to be getting ready for bed.

She watched as a man and woman kissed briefly in the lamplight before entering what looked to be an inn. She stopped. Bartolomeo did as well looking back at her.

"What?" He asked.

Vetica nodded from the inn to a dimly lit alley way where several men in unformed were lingering. Bartolomeo still seemed confused.

"We have no place to stay," she said.

"What about the inn-dabe?"

She shook her head. "No good. I'd bet a lot of money that those marines are waiting to raid every inn in the area to make sure you didn't sneak into one with me."

He nodded. "That's fine we can just stay on my shi-"

He froze. She supposed he realized the actuality of their situation. Vetica climbed on the bike, motioning for him to join. He took her hand and hopped on behind her. She spotted one of the marines motion their way.

"Wrap your arms around my waist," she instructed. "Makes it look like I'm in charge." His large muscular arms did just that, almost knocking the wind from her. "Too tight."

He loosened his grip, and they rode off to find a more secluded Grove. It took almost an hour, but they did eventually find a suitable cave-like root structure to settle for the night.

Vetica balled up her scarf and normal clothes to form pillow on one end of the nook, while Bartolomeo changed into his usual pants. He claimed that his disguise was too uncomfortable to sleep in, which had been the only reason why the woman had allowed him to even remotely strip in her presence. Though she didn't mind the view of his back too much.

Once he reached for his jacket, Vetica stopped him and motioned for him to hand it over. He pouted, but complied.

"You get my presence; I get a blanket," she explained.

Then they went to sleep. At least, Bartolomeo did. Vetica was consumed by sudden waves of racing thoughts which stirred her awake every few minutes or so: some were of work, some were of the day, and some were of why exactly the man had brought her there. She still couldn't understand of all the things he could have done while waiting in paradise he decided to kidnap her. She imagined most pirates usually wanted to visit the many brothels and bars the Archipelago had to offer.

A shaky snore caught her attention. The source was Bartolomeo who lay crumpled up in the fetal position a meter away. His arms were shaking lightly, and Vetica lifted the jacket up to let the evening breeze hit her skin. She shivered, quickly withdrawing into the coat's protection; she had not expected the temperature to drop so significantly. The man also seemed to shiver again. She groaned and stood.

She went over to his side and laid down, throwing a portion of the coat over him. Bartolomeo let out a satisfied sigh, shifting closer to her. Chills ran up Vetica's spine as his hands brushed her back.

Despite having less coverage than before her body felt unbearably warm. Her mind was off racing again. She wondered how long it had been exactly since the last time she had been this close to him. Had her heart thudded this hard in her chest the last time?

There was a small murmur of nonsense from the man behind her, as he shifted positions again.

What if he was actually awake? Vetica was too anxious to turn around and check. He probably wasn't though. Barty wasn't an idiot, but she wouldn't classify him as being the craftiest tool in the shed. He was more of a man of action, like when he had pressed her up against the wall and nipped her neck the last time-

Vetica grasped her head, curling up in near agony. Why was she suddenly remembering that stuff!?

Just then a hand landed on her waist, causing her to bolt upright. Next to her Bartolomeo had apparently shifted in his sleep again. She roughly threw the man's arm back at him.

"Idiot!" She yelled,

Very slowly, he man's eyes began to open. He looked around him blearily before his eyes settled on Vetica. He lifted a hand to her cheek, and smiled.

"This is a nice dream-dabe," he said, stroking it lightly. Then he attempted to sit up and collapsed with a frown. "My bed's really uncomfy."

Vetica swatted his hand away. "That's because this isn't a dream you moron."

Bartolomeo's eyes grew wide and he leapt to his feet, leaving the poor woman face to face with his morning wood. She covered her view with one hand.

"Ah! Vetica-Senpai! What a-" he seemed to actually be waking up now. "I thought you went to sleep over there-dabe!"

"I did! But you were-" she stopped. He clearly didn't remember being cold. She considered the potential scenarios. "I was cold… okay?"

The man nodded and settled back down next to her. Vetica laid back down, but her head was starting to get muddled again.

"Hey, Barty," she whispered. He made an acknowledging grunt. "Aren't you scared about going to the New World?"

"Huh?" He replied, sitting up slightly. "Why would I be-dabe?"

She sat up, as a sudden surge of frustration passed through her. "Because you could die. Don't you know that the survival rate for the trip to Fishman Island alone is only twenty-five percent?"

The man smiled. "Then I'll die a pirate, just how Luffy-Senpai was prepared to."

"But what about Granny and the other people who care about you? How do you think they'd feel?"

Bartolomeo shrugged. "Sad, I guess-dabe. I'm sure Gambia is talking to her a lot while we wait-dabe."

A part of Vetica wanted to smack him for being so careless, but the cold wind of realization, which washed over her, made her weak. He seemed to have picked up on her moment of weakness, and leaned in close.

"Do you not want me to go-dabe?"

"No, that's not it," she said.

If he didn't go to the New World, she could kiss all her hard work goodbye. She hadn't essentially broken the law, for half a rookie story, but he had just equated her to Granny. Nobody meant more to Bartolomeo's crew than Granny and Luffy. Yet here he was spending time with her instead.

As she watched him settle back down, she wondered how she would feel if she really never saw him again, never heard his voice again. As obnoxious as it was, she supposed she'd feel sad, and, if she was wondering about their relationship now, how would she wonder if she had no chance to ask?

"Barty," she said. "Do you remember that night?"

There was something of a shocked squeak from the man. He cleared his throat.

"Some-dabe," he admitted.

Vetica leaned over him, to better see his face. She had to know just how honest he was being with her. "Do… did… did you like it? Being with me?"

The proximity made it difficult for her to get the words out. She watched his face flush, and that same look of helplessness she had experienced the morning after came back. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, as she rapidly studied his face.

"Answer me," she said.

Bartolomeo looked away from her. "Yes."

The second after felt like it lingered in the air for a full minute. Each blink moved in slow motion, as he glanced back at her. Vetica made her decision. She stood and pulled her dress off over her head.

Bartolomeo gasped and scrambled away from her. "Vetica-Senpai, wha-what-what are you doing?"

She approached him slowly, with each step straining to not let her own nerves show. She knelt next to him.

"Do you want me?" She asked. Any nerves she had at this point were overwhelmed by the sheer need for answers.

He avoided looking at her, an uncomfortable smile spreading across his lips. "We-well-dabe, I- I- I…"

A hot wave of embarrassment flooded over the woman. Why was he not answering her? Was he attempting to reject her, or did some weird part of the man think she would be mad if he said "yes"? She had not put herself in an uncomfortable position to not be answered.

She grabbed his face and turned it towards her.

"If you do," she stated slowly, her own voice shaking from the overwhelming adrenaline. "I'm willing to give myself to you."

Bartolomeo looked at her. The tension suddenly released from his body. The look in his eyes changed from scared to longing. A large hand gently brushed her hair. Vetica's face was on fire.

"Do you want me?" She repeated.

Without a word his hand cradled the back of her head, and he pulled her into a kiss.

In an instant she recognized the warmth of his lips, and, like greeting an old friend, fully embraced them. His tongue found its way into a familiar tangle with hers, and with clumsy anticipation, they attempted to strip each other of the remaining clothes in their way, before falling into the grass.

Her fingers explored the ever shifting terrain of his back, as he kissed his way down her neck. With each kiss Vetica moaned and let her fingers tease through his hair, as he showed her just how appropriate the epithet she had selected for him was.

Then, in a roar of impatience, the two came together in a culmination of, what could only be described as, ravenous desire, never paying any mind to the idea of being caught.

Her life did not matter. Her badge did not matter. At that point, she was consumed by only the knowledge that this could be the last time she would see ever see him, feel him, or hear him moan her name again.

As Vetica cuddled with Bartolomeo underneath his jacket, she couldn't help but wonder if this entire experience was just a vivid dream. For all she knew, she could wake up in her quarters at Marie Joies any minute, but the warm body next to her told a different story, as he clutched her too tight, like one would a teddy bear.

"You're so soft-dabe," he murmured, pressing his face against her back.

She squirmed to get slightly looser in his grip, before settling down. "I'm glad you think so."

"I wish we could stay like this forever-dabe," he purred.

Vetica cleared her throat. "Yeah that would be nice."

"Marry me-dabe."

All the air left The woman's body at once, accompanied by her comfort and potentially her soul as well. "Hold up! What?"

She turned on him, only to find his expression was a serious one. Her heart rate sped up. She shook her head.

"Now you're just being sappy," she said. She turned away from him once more. "Everybody knows pirates don't get married. Don't be idiot."

"Okay," he stated, as if she had only corrected his grammar. "Be my woman."

Vetica sat up, peeling him off of her. Bartolomeo followed, clearly confused by her sudden cold demeanor.

"What is it?" He asked. "Pirates have women-dabe."

Vetica picked up her dress, but the man had pinned her against the cavern wall before she could put it on.

"I can't be your woman, Barty," she protested.

"Why not-dabe?"

Vetica could feel herself beginning to shake. She clutched the dress to her chest, hoping the quake would not travel into her voice as well.

"Because you are a pirate… You're a pirate, and I'm a reporter. I work for the government. I could lose my job."

Bartolomeo's pupils dilated, and his breathing slowed. "So-dabe?"

The pheromones in his breath suddenly began to affect her own tension. Her arms went slack.

"So... I like you, but I'm not just going to give up my dream for you," she explained, softly. He lifted a thumb to her lips. "Even if this was amazing, I've worked too hard to give up now…"

Bartolomeo then kissed her gently, making Vetica feel weak.

"I could just not return you-dabe," he whispered as they parted. "After all, I did kidnap you-dabe."

It would have been more alarming to Vetica had the man's eyes matched his threatening words, but the expression in them was one of pleading. They were sad, desperate eyes. The kind that made her not want to say no.

She sighed. "How about this?"

The man looked confused.

"I'll make a deal with you," she stated calmly. "If you can survive 3 years in the New World… then I will let you be my man."

"How can I know you'll keep your word?"

Vetica scowled at his question.

"What do you want me to do? Tattoo it on my ass?"

Bartolomeo grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

"See it's like this but backwards," Vetica explained, pointing to a photograph in her hands, as she and Bartolomeo stood in the practically empty tattoo parlor. "2D crossed out for not to-day, and 3Y for in 3 years."

"Ah, I see-dabe," the man replied, stroking his chin.

"That way if anyone finds it, I can claim that the tattoo artist messed up, and I was trying to commemorate a historical moment."

Bartolomeo nodded. "Smart-dabe."

She took a deep breath, and looked him in the eyes. "And you're certain, you want this?"

He grinned, smugly. "We made a deal-dabe."

Vetica sighed, shoved the photo in her top, and approached the heavily inked woman, who was lounging on the counter. Vetica explained what she wanted to the artist, which was received with a motion towards the other side of the shop. Bartolomeo eyes were almost wolfish as he watched her make her way to the table in the corner. Then with a grimace Vetica lifted her skirt and laid down on the table.

As the artist set to work, Bartolomeo snickered from his spot on a nearby table. Vetica raised her brows at him, but it only caused him to laugh even harder. With each stroke of the needle, she regretted the position of her new acquisition more and more. She was certain she wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for days.

"Don't laugh too hard; you're going next," she warned the pirate.

Bartolomeo stopped, but still grinned like a mad man, not attempting to hide the fact he was staring directly at her ass.

"So, what are you two commemorating?" the artist asked, as she wiped excess ink off Vetica's skin. "Anniversary? Engagement?"

Vetica's face grew warm. She turned away from Bartolomeo with a scowl. "Business agreement.

Once her tattoo was finished the artist place some sort of healing balm on it, but Vetica's butt cheek still burned like white fire. She stood and gave room for Barolomeo, who unceremoniously dropped trou before laying down on the table. Vetica shielded her eyes as he received his matching brand.

The sun was high in the sky once they exited the parlor. People, mainly rough types like pirates, were bustling about the streets of the grove. Vetica wrapped the scarf tightly around her head, and reached up a hand to push down Bartolomeo's fedora, as she spotted a familiar looking group of pirates pass by. Bartolomeo gave her a flat look, and she moved her hand down to his arm.

"Should I have let them spot you?" She asked, brows raised.

He grumbled in response, adjusting his hat. "So where to-dabe?"

Vetica looked around. The streets were more crowded than she was expecting, but she supposed that they did need to eat. She spotted a nice-looking restaurant across the street. She reached up a hand to point to it, but froze halfway; her eyes locked with a stranger across the way. Her hands clenched around Bartolomeo's forearm.

"Drag me to the nearest alley," She hissed.

"Huh?"

The marine, who was seated at the restaurant, stood up and began to wave someone over.

"Now, Barty!"

With a firm tug, Bartolomeo grabbed her arm and began tearing through the crowd. Vetica's rear ached as she collided with passersby. There was the sound of several voices ordering people to move, and gasps of people in the crowd as other pirates began to fight back, thinking the marines were after them.

Soon the pair were enveloped in the shade of two buildings, and Vetica began removing her disguise. She swore under her breath; they had left their normal clothes in the cave. She untucked her badge and began looking around the trash littered alley. The sound of marines grew closer. She turned to Bartolomeo.

"Do you have a knife on you?"

The man shook his head, and Vetica let out another swear.

She then spotted an empty bottle on the ground. She picked it up and slammed it against the wall, shattering it. She then began slicing at her dress the sharp end. Next to her Bartolomeo watched the mouth of the alleyway, muscles tense like an animal preparing to fight.

Vetica smudged dirt on the dress's skirt and began to make her way towards the street. From the way the crowd was moving, the marines couldn't be more than a few yards away.

"Guess this is it," she whispered, forcing herself to smile. "Try to get as far away as possible, okay?"

Then she began to step into the light.

A hand seized hers, and she suddenly found herself pressed against the wall by the force Bartolomeo's lips on hers. She struggled against him, certain that they were going to be caught. But no marines came.

Slowly he released her. His deep red irises, staring into hers. He stroked her neck with one hand, brushing the strap of her dress to one side.

"3 years-dabe…"

Then he tore off towards the back of the alley and vaulted the wall. Vetica watched him go, before wincing at the surge of pain from the site of her new tattoo.

She took a deep breath and pushed her way out into the crowd.

"Help me! I'm here!"

They questioned her for what felt like hours, pouring over every possible detail of her captivity. Vetica explained how he had held her in a small cave offshore and had taken her out to move her to his ship. They questioned her dress, but she insisted that they were the clothes she was kidnapped in.

"I changed when I got back to my room."

The hardest part was definitely the sitting, but Vetica used the pain to her advantage, letting out tears whenever they got pushy about her relationship.

"How could you…. He's a monster," she would cry, whenever they accused her of having some sort of relationship with the man.

Eventually they let her go, apologizing for the trauma they put her through. They even offered to take her back to Marie Joies, but she insisted she just wanted to work and pretend it never happened.

When she entered her room, a pair of warm arms wrapped around her. She melted into the soft body they belonged to, tears unexpectedly dribbling down her cheeks. A hand stroked her hair.

"I'm glad you're safe," Rider said, pressing his cheek against her head.

"It was pretty scary wasn't it," she laughed, wiping her face and pulling away. She walked over to her cot. He watched her silently. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"He didn't hurt you right?"

"No, no…" she assured him.

She then reached into her bra, feeling around for her most prized possession. When it wasn't where she expected, she checked the other side. Her eyes grew wide.

"Shit!"

Rider looked back at her. "What?"

Vetica clutched her head in her hands, boiling hot rage and sorrow pouring through her body. She was trembling uncontrollably

"It's- it's gone…. my- my picture with Straw hat Luffy…. It's gone..."she gasped.

"Isn't he old news anyways," Rider asked, before leaping back at the sound of her uncontrollable laughter.

All the blood had officially left Vetica's head. She thought about the miserable year that awaited her at G-2. Her head ached. Her heart ached. Her ass ached.

"He is literally the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me," she breathed.

Then she passed out.

* * *

"What's wrong? I thought you liked stories with princes," a deep, warm voice chuckled.

Vetica looked up at the large bearded man who smiled down at her, as they sat on the large fluffy bed. He laid the book on the table next to them and pressed her small body against his chest.

She pouted and crossed her arms.

"They're too unrealistic," she whined. "I'm not a baby anymore."

The man chuckled again, and kissed her face. His cheek prickled against her own.

"How could I forget," he growled. "Have you been reading that workbook I sent you?"

"Mhm," she said. "I already finished it!"

"Already finished?" He exclaimed dramatically, letting her go. "Wow! What is that? That has to be the fourth one this month."

"Try tenth. She goes through them like wildfire," a woman in an apron commented from the other side of the room. "It's not normal for a girl her age. My own daughter could barely count to five at her age. She doesn't have enough to do here. You should really-"

"Aww, it's fine. Words run in the family," the man said, ruffling Vetica's hair. "Isn't that right, Smartie?"

Vetica nodded and hopped up to wrap her arms around his neck, taking in the scent of his sweaty hair.

"Ah," she exclaimed, as a thought came to her. "Daddy, did you see any pirates this time?"

The man shifted her to his lap, cradling her in his arms. "Hmmm… let me think."

"Marlon…" the woman said in a warning tone. But the man waved her away, before turning his attention back to Vetica.

"Now, you know, pirates are outlaws, Vetica," he said, slowly. "Just like robbers and murderers."

"But I thought you said some are nice?"

Her father glanced up at the woman, who was giving him a disapproving look. He cleared his throat and shifted the little girl on his lap.

"Hey Tica," he said, beaming at her. "How about you come with me on my next trip?"

"Really?"

"Marlon-" the woman gasped, but he raised a hand to silence her.

"You did say she didn't have enough to do here, Miss Caba, did you not?"

The woman opened her mouth to protest for a moment before letting out a sigh. "If that's you want. It's not my place to parent."

Then she wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door. "I'll be taking my leave, sir. Goodnight, Vetica."

As Vetica watched her leave, a pang of bitterness rolled over her, but it was quickly washed away by the smile on her fathers face as he stroked her hair.

"Well?"

She smiled and pressed her face against his soft, warm chest.

"I love you."

His large hand lightly patted her back.

"I love you too, Smartie."


	8. Chapter 8

Vetica awoke to the sound of yelling. It was unusual for such a commotion to be going on without the sound of cannon fire. Blearily, she was helped to her feet by Rider who had a look of panic on his face to match the chatter coming from outside their room.

"What's happening?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and pulling on her sweater vest.

Rider let out a small grunt. "There's something crazy going on with Dressrosa'

Vetica's eyes grew wide as she whipped around to look at her friend. "Dressrosa!?"

She clambered onto the ships deck to see a projector screen towering above a crowd of marines. On the screen was a distant view of a strange white cage surrounding an island. Her breath caught; Rider had been right. She grabbed a nearby seaman's shoulder, turning him to face her.

"What's going on?" She demanded. "Have they reported anything?"

The marine was pale as he shook his head. "They- they say it's S-s-strawhat Luffy..."

"My buddy in Fujitora's division said that they were trying to trap pirates at a tournament, and Doflamingo suddenly went nuts," A freckled marine offered.

Vetica's mouth felt dry. Barty said that he was going to that tournament. Without even thinking about it, her feet began to carrying her back to her cabin. The freckled marine reached after her.

"Miss reporter! Where are you going?!"

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, immediately bringing her to a halt. She looked up to see Rider slowly shake his head. She attempted to pull away, but he forcefully cradled her head against his shoulder.

"You can't call him now," he whispered to her. "Just wait until more news comes."

"Is she alright?" Vetica heard the freckled marine ask Rider.

Rider gently released her, nodding. "She has friends there. That's all."

Her heart thudded, as Vetica came to grips with the fact that Bartolomeo may have already been captured. For now she had to focus on getting what scraps of this story she could.

"Oh man..." The marine gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "I'm sure Admiral Fujitora will get rid of those disgusting pirates."

Vetica gulped and nodded, forcing herself to smile.

"Yeah," she said turning to fully face him. "Is there anyone who can give me a list of what pirates attended the tournament?"

The young marine grinned down at her. "I bet Captain Delfin would know. Just you follow me."

It was a tense couple of hours while Vetica and the crew watched the situation unfold, attempting to make sense of the sparse amounts of information that were being passed along. Vetica was able to confirm that Bartolomeo had in fact entered Doflamingo's tournament, but from that point his whereabouts were unknown.

Mountains moved on the distant island, explosions shone, and dust filled the air from buildings falling. Vetica could not imagine how many casualties there must have been. The crowd packed closer together with each shrinking of the cage. As they watched the island quake and ripple, Vetica clutched her notepad tight.

"You better be alright you idiot..." She muttered under her breath.

Then with a bang that resonated over the vast ocean, the birdcage disappeared. Marines cheered and celebrated as their officers barked orders to prepare themselves in case they were called to aid with the capture efforts. Amongst the celebrating Vetica was finally able to slip away to her room. She quickly dug through the snail palace, pulling out Shea and dialing Bartolomeo's number.

She paced the room as the snail rang. Her teeth dug into the bottom corner of her lip. Nobody was answering. She sat and waited for the longest two minutes of her life, until a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?" A deep smooth voice said.

Vetica's stomach rolled; it wasn't Bartolomeo's voice.

"Gambia?" She whispered, shielding her mouth as Rider entered the room. Her friend looked at her questioningly before she motioned for him to quickly close the door. "Where's Barty?"

"Oh it's you… I don't know," the man on the other end groaned. "We got separated during the tournament. I was goin' to go get him, but then everything went to hell."

Vetica's heart raced as she considered all the possibilities. If Barty did die at least she wouldn't have to worry about the agreement they made, but then she wouldn't have a star rookie either. If he was caught then there was the possibility he would rat her out, in which case she would have to figure out who captured him and pay to have someone rescue or kill him.

The snail spoke again. "...you don't know what happened to him right? You've got ties to the government right?... If you know anything the guys and I freakin' out. He hasn't been caught right-"

"I don't know anything right now," she hissed, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I will let you know if I hear anything... just please have him call me if he comes back."

"Okay," Gambia replied. There was a moment of pause. "I know it's none of my business, but why d'you care? You made Barto-aniki say he raped you but keep calling. How's that make any sense-"

Vetica's face felt hot. She looked up at Rider who shrugged as if to agree with Gambia's statement before pulling out a magazine to read. Vetica took a deep breath. "Look... it's complicated okay, just-"

"Bullshit. He keeps your picture on his nightstand right next to Luffy's. Every time you talk he shuts us all out. If you like him you should be here. If not, leave him alone dammit."

A tick of annoyance flared through the girl's veins. Her brow twitched. "Fine!"

She hung up.

She sighed.

She sat.

Rider looked down at her with an unsympathetic smirk. He licked his finger and flipped the page of his magazine. "Good to know they aren't all complete idiots."

Vetica shot him a glare, as she put the snail away, certain her face was bright red. The absolute nerve of Gambia... Didn't he realize that it wasn't the time for stuff like that. Obviously, she cared. She didn't have to justify that to him, but, all the same, him accusing her was... annoying.

Vetica spent the next two days making business calls and writing, with Shea constantly on her shoulder in hopes that Barty might contact her, but no phone call ever came. She went to bed with the small snail right by her pillow, but no call ever came. She even took the snail with her to shower, but even then there was no call from Bartolomeo.

However, luckily, her mind was finally put to ease on the third day when she received several briefings and wanted posters from headquarters, including Bartolomeo's, whose bounty had gone up again. Apparently, the moron had nearly died helping Monkey D. Luffy defeat Doquixote Doflamingo. To say that she was a little jealous would be a huge understatement. That jerk probably hadn't called her so he could spend all his time with "Luffy-senpai," though, admittedly she would probably do the same. She forwarded some copies to his ship as usual, but still received no reply.

Once she was alone in her cabin, she ran her fingers over a copy of his mocking grimace. She chewed her lip and let out a sigh, before jamming her thumb into the photo's eye. The edge of her lip twitched.

"Jerk, not calling... do you know how much you distracted me from my job?" She began the rip the poster but froze before she could tear his face. Her hands shook, as his ugly eyes playfully grinned at her. She tossed it to the side and sank against the wall. "What am I doing? Vetica, you idiot... you can't get tied back up in this. You should be sad he's not dead..."

Vetica balled up her sweater around her mouth and let out a muted scream.

Once her throat felt sufficiently raw, she threw her head back with a groan. "I need a distraction."

And as they continued to the Marine Base Vetica found what she was looking for in the freckled marine who had helped her, named Joshua. He came from a small remote island in the South Blue and was a remarkably skilled kisser. He took time to listen to the young reporter's stories and showed her all the places marines snuck off to on a ship to avoid their duties. Rider of course did not fully approve but kept his nose out of it, and in three days their journey and Vetica's brief relationship were over.

"Corsia has nice weather and interesting stuff from time to time," Joshua said, grasping at her hand, as Vetica walked down the gangplank. "Plus you could write about, our Captain. His seventh anniversary is coming up, you know."

Vetica stopped and turned to face the young man. "I don't write 'Just and Brave' anymore Joshua, and a reporter like me needs to be on the front line."

"So you're heading into Emperor Territory?"

Vetica looked up and around at the sky as if there was some sort of answer as to why she should not go hidden amongst the clouds, before raising her eyebrows and smiling. "Mhm."

The marine scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then he looked up past her and stiffly saluted. "Sir!"

"Dismissed," a gruff voice ordered from behind Vetica, and Joshua scampered off with a pout. She pivoted to see a very large grey haired man with a distinctive scar underneath his eye. He looked Vetica over and beamed, pulling her into a rough hug.

"Vice Admiral!-" Vetica gasped, squirming in an attempt to escape being smothered by the man's hard warm chest. The man laughed and pushed her out to arm's length, studying her with glassy eyes.

"You look just like your old man," he said then smacked her back, knocking her off balance. "I can't believe how much you've grown! Such a handsome young lady!"

"Thanks..." Vetica choked out, not sure whether to feel complimented or insulted by his statement. Then with a pause of realization she straightened her posture. "But wait, Vice Admiral Garp, why aren't you at Dressrosa? I heard your grandson is there."

Garp swatted away the notion. "They don't need me over there. Besides, then I would miss the chance to see Marlon Fuller's daughter."

There was a tinge of sadness in his voice which made Vetica's feel like a icicle had been driven into her chest. Then she felt a familiar presence come up beside her. Garp looked the newcomer over and held out a hand. Rider shook it.

"You must be the tech," the older man mused.

"I am," Rider replied, friendly for once. "Are you the one taking us to Hubble?"

Garp let out another laugh.

"That hell hole? No, that's Commander Twill. I have other duties to do," He lowered his gaze. "It's pretty gutsy even for veteran reporters to want to enter Shanks' territory. Though, guess I shouldn't be too surprised, you being Marlon's kid and all. That man was insane. It's a real shame that he had to go like that."

The phantom scent of blood and tears filled her nose, as memories threatened to make themselves apparent. She shook her head and took a deep breath. "You know, I don't remember much about it actually."

Garp took her hands, placing a small envelope in them, his expression solemn. Vetica fiddled with the edge of the flap, but the old man's hand stopped her from opening it.

"I never got to give this to your father, but I'll tell you what I would have told him. Some information is best not read until asked for. Ahem... Anyways," He ruffled Vetica's hair and nodded off to the right. "She's waiting for you at Dock Three."

He then thrust his hands back in his pockets and began to head off in the opposite direction. "Stay safe! It'd be a shame if you died before you got the chance to read it!"

Vetica and Rider watched him leave before checking through their things and making their way to their escort. The vice admiral's warning was cryptic enough to make Vetica stash the letter in her blouse pocket. Reading it would have to wait until they made it to their destination.


	9. Chapter 9

The trip to Hubble was relatively uneventful for a trip through the New World. With the exception of a sudden blizzard halfway through their journey, the seas were calm. Vetica still had received no news about Bartolomeo besides that he had managed to escape Admiral Fujitora's grasp. She considered attempting to call him, but she didn't want to have to potentially talk to Gambia again.

Commander Twill was a wonderful escort, though was nothing like Vetica had expected. Twill was a tall but very soft looking woman in her forties with a demeanor to match. She wore her bright red hair in a loose ponytail over her shoulder at all times and could regularly be found wearing an apron and sewing on the helm. Every single one of her crew members had their initials embroidered on their collars, which was more than likely how they received the nickname "The Monogramed Marines". Apparently, Twill had a great distaste for many crews' lack of refinement, making the young reporter wonder how exactly the woman became a commander.

She offered to teach Vetica how to embroider while they traveled as well as make her an apron, which Vetica politely refused. She instead spent her time aboard the ship interviewing what men would actually talk to her, avoiding the commander's constant eerily friendly questions about her articles, and counting the minutes till they could leave. Rider on the hand was more than happy to spend the week by the commander's side, chatting about fashion, baking, and stitching his name on all of his clothes.

Arriving at Hubble provided little relief to Vetica's desire to avoid the cheery commander. The island was just as Garp had described it: a hell hole. The terrain was swampy and the buildings were rundown, their wooden structures warped and paint flaking. To make things worse, due to the large amount of pirate activity and Vetica's apparent reputation, Twill insisted on staying as their escort until she felt they were sufficiently safe on the island, which Rider of course loved.

They checked in to a white-ish two story inn which was situated between the bayou and shoreline. The people who ran it seemed nice, despite the fact their clothes were almost constantly covered in chicken blood. They brought in fresh fruit from the bayou every day for them to try and threw large dinners with the locals every night. Vetica observed that it was almost like the entire island consisted of one huge family. The generous atmosphere even made Twill's constant nagging a little more bearable.

The only thing that still bothered Vetica was the fact that she had heard nothing from Bartolomeo for two-and-a-half weeks. It wasn't like she missed hearing his voice, but when she was alone she found herself wondering if he had been killed or compromised after all. That was until Rider brought her a local newspaper, with a picture of Bartolomeo's ship and a headline about him harassing a nearby island.

Vetica let out a sigh, prompting her friend to give a questioning look.

"So he seriously hasn't contacted you at all," he asked.

Vetica sat on the edge of her bed, listless. "No, not since before Dressrosa."

Rider slowly approached her, clearly studying her expression. "You think he ditched us."

Vetica let out an unconvincing scoff.

"He couldn't... He wouldn't," She said, but the truth was she was not sure anymore. Then a thought came to mind. She looked up at Rider. "You don't think one of Luffy's crew told him not to call me... Or maybe Gambia told him not to call."

Rider's brows shot up as he scrunched his lips together, clearly holding back a snicker.

"What?" Vetica demanded.

He cleared his throat and turned away from her slightly. "Nothing. Just the first time in a while, I've seen you this self-conscious. Almost makes you cute."

Vetica chucked her pillow at him and covered her mouth, at the realization that she had just reinforced his point. Her face burned. She scowled at him and grabbed her other pillow, holding it up threateningly, only causing Rider smile more. "It's not like that."

"Whatever, you say," Rider chuckled. His face became serious again. "Just promise me you'll stay stubborn and let him be."

"As if I'd call him at this point," Vetica pouted, glancing around the room. She didn't want Rider to know it felt like all of her energy was slowly oozing into the floor. She forced a smile, hugging the pillow against her chest. "His reputation will go up no matter what, now that he's buddies with Monkey D. Luffy. I don't have to do anything at this point."

She looked up to see Rider staring at her intensely.

"I'll be good, really; I promise," she insisted. "I can always find another rookie to follow. You should go see Twill since she's leaving tomorrow."

Rider blushed.

"It's not weird is it?" He asked.

Vetica blinked at him. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

The large man nodded as he made his way to the door. "Good point. See you at dinner."

And with a slam of the door, Vetica was left alone.

She flopped on the bed and fanned herself. The humidity on this island was truly awful, sometimes the room felt like a hot box. She rolled over onto her stomach.

"I hate this," She groaned, before flipping back over. "I hate Twill, and I hate this weather."

Vetica looked over at the window considering whether or not it would be inappropriate to strip since there were no curtains. It was pretty dark, both outside and in her room. Plus her window backed up to the bayou, so, unless one of Twill's "Monogramed Marines" was willing to risk getting his uniform muddy for a peek, the chance of someone seeing her was probably pretty low. Besides, if someone did see her, she could always scream for one of the marines guarding her room to catch them.

It was decided then. She sat up and removed her sweater vest, which made her feel a little cooler. Then she unbuttoned the top of her blouse, but it still was not enough to cool off her face. She sighed and went to open the window.

"I wonder if it's this bad in Rider's room..."

She unfastened the lock and looked down into a pair of intense red irises.

Vetica yelped, falling back from the slowly opening window. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She covered her mouth as she stared up at the smiling face of Bartolomeo. There was a knocked on the door.

"Miss Vetica, is everything okay?" A marine's voice called from the hall.

"Umm..." She uncovered her mouth and quickly attempted to catch her breath. The fanged man was now crouched in her windowsill. If he was caught here, she was definitely going to get interrogated again.

"Yeah, sorry. Uh... just got startled by a bug," she said loudly. She smacked the floor next to her, eyes never leaving Bartolomeo's. "Got it!"

She slowly stood as he lowered himself into the room. A cool breeze gently brushed her cheeks.

"Okay," the marine replied. "Just holler if you need us."

She looked to the door. "Thank you!"

She had scarcely finished her words before she was pulled into a warm embrace. Warm breath tickled her neck, as Bartolomeo pressed his face against her hair. Despite every urge she had to slap him, the comfort of his familiar scent caused her body to melt. She wrapped her arms around his broad back, which was even more muscular now than she remembered.

After a minute she finally found the strength to push away slightly. She took his face in her hand and forced him to look into her eyes, determined to give him a proper scolding. "Barty you-"

Warm lips stopped her own from speaking, once more causing Vetica's body to lose its will to fight. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer, as they stumbled back towards the bed. As the back of her knee ran into the bed, she broke away with a gasp.

"Wait, wait," she breathed, forming a wall between their lips with her hands.

The man let go of her, and she quickly dragged him away from the window and locked her door. She then pressed him into a corner where no one could see them from outside. Once she felt like her nerves had settled enough, she released him.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. "Do you have a death wish?"

" I missed you-dabe," He whispered, lifting a hand to her face. His unchanging grin made Vetica wonder if he had even heard her. She slapped his hand away with a scowl.

Bartolomeo frowned, as if he was a small child who had just been scolded. She pursed her lips.

"You don't call me for two weeks, break into my bedroom, and just magically want me to be happy to see you?"

"It's not like two weeks is a long time-," he muttered.

"Yeah, when you're just sailing around doing whatever the hell you usually do, not fighting psychotic former warlords," Vetica spat, poking him forcefully in the abs. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "I thought you might have died until you apparently came busting into the town next-door."

Bartolomeo leaned down until his face was in front of hers. He smiled. "So you were worried about me-dabe?"

Vetica gulped and cleared her throat turning away from him. "And if I was-?"

Knock, knock, knock...

The pair froze.

"Vetica," a soft feminine voice called. "It's me. I just wanted to check on you."

Vetica closed her eyes and swore under her breath; it was Twill. She looked around for a possible spot to hide her guest, praying she wouldn't have to. "I'm fine!"

There was silence and the sound of someone shifting their footing. "I know... But could you please open the door?"

Vetica nodded to the bed, and Bartolomeo clumsily scampered over to it, while Vetica sighed loudly and walked over to the door. She took a quick glance at the bed, where Bartolomeo was climbing under, and slowly cracked the door open.

"Yes, Commander?" Vetica asked, making a show of rubbing her eyes. "What was it?"

The taller woman peered in the door, around Vetica who opened it more ever so slightly, hoping the pirate was good enough at hiding not to get them caught. Then Commander Twill leaned back.

"It's dangerous to nap with the window open," she commented.

Vetica blinked at her before leaning out the door and looking at the marines stationed along the wall. She did her best to smile, fanning herself. "Sorry, It's just so hot, and I felt safe knowing your men were here."

Twill let out a small sigh and nodded. "Well, that might change after what I have to tell you, unfortunately. May I?"

Vetica licked her lips and opened the door all the way to let the other woman in. She glanced over at the bed. To her relief she couldn't see any sign of Bartolomeo. She looked back at the commander, who gracefully pulled a small folded paper from her apron. The woman unfolded it and handed it to Vetica. It was the news article Rider had shown her before.

"Where did this come from?" Vetica asked, pretending to be surprised. She covered her mouth, as she read some more. "Isn't this near here?"

Twill gently nodded, placing a hand on Vetica's arm. "Yes, I'm afraid it is, but I promise my men and I will make sure to do everything in our power to protect you."

Vetica shook her head. "It's probably just a coincidence."

Twill's gave her arm a gentle squeeze before making her way over to the window. "That may be so..." With a small click she locked the window shut. "But I don't think it is."

She then returned to Vetica's side. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst with Twill in such close proximity to the bed. The woman studied her face.

"Do you need me to keep you company tonight?" She said.

Vetica wiped her eyes in an attempt to convince Twill she was trying not to cry. "No...I-I'm sorry, but I think I'd just like to be alone right now."

Twill let out another heavy sigh but nodded. Slowly she opened the door and looked up at Vetica. "Well, I'm just a few rooms away if you need to talk."

Vetica forced a smile and nodded, as she helped her out the door, quickly locking it behind her. Quietly Bartolomeo emerged from his hiding spot, rolling his shoulders with clear discomfort. Vetica quickly motioned for him to come over to her side. As he came over he lifted his arms to pin her between himself and the wall putting her eye level with the middle of his very well-toned chest. Vetica felt her face flush. He smirked. She gulped.

"Well I hope you have some sort of brilliant escape plan," she whispered.

"I don't."

"Well then I hope you don't mind leaving quickly."

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to her. She looked down to see him holding a bobblehead in the likeness of Monkey D. Luffy, clearly some of Barty's unusual handywork. A disbelieving smile spread across her face.

"What is this?"

"It's a gift-dabe," he said softly, giving her the look that somehow always managed to win her over. "From a commanding officer of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet."

Vetica's eyes grew wide and her smile faded. She blinked up at him. "You mean, you?" He just grinned even more. Her mouth was agape. "Oh shit... You mean, you're part of Luffy's fleet? You really did meet?"

He nodded placing the bobblehead in her hands. His eyes were glittering with excitement. "And I got something I think you'll really wanna see-dabe."

She gave him a flat look. "It's not on your ship right."

The man's grin skewed to one side. She was right.

Vetica looked from the door to the window, calculations running through her head at a million meters per second. Twill hadn't left that long ago which meant the chances of there already being a guard outside the were pretty low, but even then, it was possible that the commander might have sent someone out there in anticipation of an incident before her visit, but if that was the case then it meant whether or not she left with Bartolomeo, she would more than likely be caught since he was already in her room, and if they saw him carrying her, then she could possibly play it off as another kidnapping.

She sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

Luckily for Vetica and Barty, it appeared that Commander Twill had not posted anyone by the window yet. Carefully Bartolomeo helped Vetica down to the ground, and the two slipped into the bayou. The path was slick and dark, but it did not take too long for them to reach the inlet where the Going Luffy-senpai was moored. Or, at least, It did not feel like a long time since Bartolomeo told her all about his adventures in Dressrossa while they hiked.

As they got closer to the ship, Vetica stopped. None of the ships windows were lit, but she still felt uneasy. Bartolomeo cocked his head back at her.

"What about your men?" She said, indicating the cabins.

He shrugged. "I told them to go party it up on the far side of the island-dabe?"

Vetica blinked at him. "Aren't you worried about them getting caught?"

The man sighed and trudged towards her through the wet grass. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and he lifted her into his arms. He chuckled, bringing his face inches from her own. Vetica's breath caught.

"You doubting my ability as a captain-dabe?" He challenged.

The young woman could scarcely answer him as she found herself transfixed by the confidence in his eyes. Chills ran down her spine. She shook her head, averting her gaze with as much of a frown as she could manage.

"N-no. Of course not." She placed a hand on his chest. "just take to me to whatever it was you wanted to show me."

With ease, Bartolomeo jumped aboard the ship and began to carry Vetica to the hall that lead to the captain's quarters. She pressed away to glare up at him, skeptically. "This better not be a trick to take me to your bed."

"It's not a trick-dabe!" Then he set her down in the entry hall and went to light a lamp. "There. We're here."

Vetica's jaw dropped as the room lit up. Before her, framed next to the Straw Hat's wanted posters, were five scribbled pieces of paper. She looked to Barty who beamed and nodded for her to look closer. Slowly she approached the pieces of paper inspecting each one. Individually they were honestly sorry excuses for signatures and one strange drawing of a chicken, but what they represented, that was much bigger.

"These are the real deal," she breathed. Her eyes were beginning to sting; it felt like she was in some sort of dream and she wasn't sure whether to be incredibly grateful or jealous. A calloused finger wiped a tear from her cheek, before Bartolomeo pulled her into a hug. She pointed to the paper which only contained the character for "sword."

"This is Zoro's, isn't it?"

Bartolomeo nodded.

"And this one is 'Iron Man' Franky's."

"Mhm."

She studied the most flourished signature. She remembered seeing a wanted poster with a similar name, but couldn't recognize it from her research. She pointed. "Who's Usopp? Is he new?"

Bartolomeo seemed to bounce up and down with excitement. "That's the real identity of Sogeking-dabe!"

Vetica's eyes grew wide. "No way!"

"Way!" He said, nodding enthusiastically before pointing at the weird chicken drawing. "And that was made by Robin-senpai!"

A twinge of annoyance flashed through the woman, as she read the description: "rooster-kun." She glanced up at the man's very rooster-like hair before grimacing. No wonder he hadn't called him if Robin had given him any kind of attention. "I'm sure you loved that..."

But Bartolomeo ignored her jab, instead pointing at the final autograph which simply read, "me". There were no words needed. Nobody else could have possibly made that dumb of an autograph. She could suddenly feel the warmth of pure joy cut through any feelings of jealousy as she remembered the first time she had seen the future pirate king's face.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, wiping her face.

"I stand and stare at it twenty minutes every morning-dabe."

Vetica could believe that from him. She sighed. She really wished she still had her own prized possession so she could place it in such a shrine. It had been a year and she still could barely believe she lost it.

"Barty..." She looked up at the pirate, eyes glistening. "Thank you for this."

He pulled her tighter against him and pressed his head against hers. "I wanted to get you, a set of your own, but we ran out of paper-dabe."

Vetica attempted to stifle the sudden snort, which threatened to turn into a full out laugh at the absurd failure of his attempt at a kind gesture. She leaned forward and attempted to cover her face but straightened back up as something hard poked her in the back. She pulled away from him, face slowly heating up.

"Barty!" She looked down at his pants to see a handle protruding from his waistband. How had she not noticed that before. She stopped and pointed. "I-... wha-... Is that a knife?"

Bartolomeo looked down at it as if he was just as surprised as she was before removing the knife from his pants and holding it out for her to see. "Yeah, what about it-dabe?"

Vetica's face heated up even more, as she realized the perversion of her mistake. She looked from the knife to his belt, desperately trying to think of a good excuse, but her mind was drawing a blank. She quickly looked away as she realized she was staring at the man's crotch. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bartolomeo straighten up. There was the sound of the knife clattering on the deck, and she could feel the sweat begin to pool on the back of her neck, as his hulking form approached her.

Bartolomeo leaned over so she was face to face with his mind-numbingly confident smirk, and Vetica knew that she had been caught. She pulled her lips into a firm line, trying to avoid letting him know exactly what she had been thinking, but it only made her feel guiltier.

"Were you hoping it was something else-dabe?" He teased, menacingly. Adrenaline surged through Vetica's veins, but she couldn't pull away. Something had changed in the year they had been apart, something about the way he looked at her, or carried himself, or got to her, and it was scary. Scary in the way that one feels looking into the horizon of eternity in awe, but scary nonetheless. "I've waited for you a long time-dabe..."

"You still have two years left..." She said pressing herself against the wall, looking only at his lips. "Remember."

Slowly he removed his jacket, revealing the admittedly attractive results of his year in the New World. Then with a hungry smile he took her hands in his and placed them on his chest. "Do you want to wait another two years-dabe?"

Vetica's mind froze. She was almost one-hundred percent certain her face was completely red and her soul was about to leave her body. Her eyes were burning. How could she be so stupid? Just a few hours before she was swearing up and down about how she was going to move on and never call him again. She had risked her job and potentially her life on a whim because he said he wanted to show her something. She and Rider had discussed time and time again how he was dangerous for her, so why? Why of all the people in the world, was he the only person who made her feel this way?

She ripped her hands away from his warm muscular chest and straightened up, lifting her chin. Barty's eyes gazed expectantly into her own, as he waited to see what she'd do.

Without looking away, Vetica carefully unbuttoned her top the rest of the way. With the exception of his eyes Bartolomeo didn't move a muscle. Then she dropped her skirt, causing the man's shoulder muscle to twitch slightly, but still he did not move. She removed her camisole, then her bra, then her panties, until she was left standing completely naked before him.

Bartolomeo inhaled deeply, gaze softening, as he looked her over from head to toe in seeming awe. Vetica smiled, at his reaction. Then, after a moment of steeling herself, she gently placed her hands on the man's pecs. Inwardly, she moaned; they were glorious. She looked back into Bartolomeo's eyes and stepped close to him and took a deep breath.

"Just tonight."

Within an instant he lifted her into a kiss, pressing her body against his, his fangs awkwardly poking her cheek and jaw, and carried her into the bedroom, dropping his pants along the way. Vetica moaned and raked her fingernails along his back, as he pressed her against the wall and entered her. From there things were loud, rough, and fast, ending with the pair sprawled breathlessly halfway across Bartolomeo's bed.

Vetica continued to groan as she sat up, running her hand through her now extremely poofy hair, before collapsing again. She smiled over at Barty, who had begun to make his way to the bathroom.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She panted, finally finding the strength to sit back up. She would have thought he would have been way rustier after a year.

"Girl I met on Corsia-dabe," he replied while pissing. A cold chill formed in the pit of Vetica's stomach, as she stared at him. When he finished wiping himself off he turned back to her. "She gave me a whole book full of cool stuff to try..."

He trailed off as he got a good look at her expression. He looked away while he pulled up his pants.

"I didn't fuck her, if that's what you're wonderin'-dabe," He stated firmly. His expression had grown dark. "I told you I want you and that's that. I don't go back on my word." He then looked at her in a way that seemed almost pointed. "I'm not a good liar like you-dabe."

Vetica's stomach felt suddenly hollow, as if it was going to engulf her entire world at any moment, as she wondered how he found out about her numerous flings. "What do you-?"

"Rumors spread fast at port-dabe. Even when it's marines."

"Barty, they didn't mean anything, I was just-"

"I doesn't matter," he snapped, before she could finish. He eyes were once again those of a wild animal, like the ones the day they executed those men. His mouth had curled into more of a snarl than a smile. "Because I will survive-dabe... I'm going to help Luffy-Senpai become king of the pirates, and then you will be mine."

Vetica's concentration on him was suddenly broken by the sound of distant laughter. Bartolomeo looked towards the door, clearly hearing it as well.

"I'll get your clothes-dabe," he murmured, before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Vetica let out a sigh of relief. She quickly and quietly stood, looking around to make sure she had not accidentally brought anything in the room. That's when she saw it, sitting on his bedside table, a photograph of her holding up a peace sign with Luffy standing in the background at Marineford. Every ounce of happiness, fear, and confusion instantly flipped to anger, as she snatched up the photo and stormed out to the deck, where Bartolomeo was happily scooping up her bra.

She shoved the photo into his face causing him to drop everything he was carrying. "Why do you have this!?"

For the first time in a year she saw the man look physically nervous. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Why do you have this?" She demanded. Tears tumbled down her cheeks as she thought about the way he last touched her before they parted in Sabaody. "Did you want it that badly that you decided to steal from me?"

He looked down and around like he was searching for the answer somewhere in the floor boards. Vetica's stomach rolled.

"Answer me!"

There were gasps as men began to emerge from the bayou to see the altercation taking place between their captain and a naked woman. The young woman's hands flew up to cover herself.

Bartolomeo bent down and handed Vetica her skirt, which she quickly snatched and wrapped around herself, tears still streaming down her face. He then handed over her shirt and her panties, both of which she put on silently.

She let out a huff, wiping her face roughly as she looked back up at him. She licked her lips, inhaled deeply, and turned away. "Fine. You know what? Don't answer; I've risked enough on you."

As Vetica stepped forward, her face collided with some kind of invisible surface. She looked back at Bartolomeo who held up two crossed fingers, tears streaming down his cheeks. She tried to go another way but once again an invisible barrier stopped her. She pursed her lips.

"Barty, don't do this."

The man gritted his teeth, clearly trying to keep from crying more than he already was. "Please don't leave me-dabe..."

Vetica lashed out at the barrier again, causing bruises to appear on her arms. "Barty, let me go!"

"I don't want you to leave... Please just listen-" His voice quaked.

Vetica collapsed to her knees. Rider had been right about him using her all along. The second he wanted something he took it, even though he knew how much it meant to her. He was just a filthy pirate. At that moment, she didn't have the strength to beg anymore. She just wanted to run, to get away from this man who had lied to her. One last time she pressed her hands against the barrier and pushed.

"That's enough Barto-aniki!" She heard Gambia yell. "Think about Luffy-senpai! Would he think this is okay?"

Vetica looked back to see Bartolomeo drop to his knees. This was it. Her hands suddenly were falling forward once more, pulling the young woman into a dead sprint. She seized a length of rope from the decks edge and quickly swung down into the dense swamp-growth, never looking back.

"Wait Vetica-Senpai!" She heard him scream.

As she ran, her legs burned, her feet burned, her eyes burned, her face burned, and her heart stood frozen like a block of ice in her chest. She couldn't quite grasp the entirety of what had just happened, but she knew she had to keep moving. She had to get away from Bartolomeo. And after what felt like an eternity of running, she could finally see the lights of the inn coming into view in the distance, until, with a sudden gasp and thud, she couldn't see anything at all.


End file.
